


Every Love Story Has A Happy Ending(depends on when you end it)

by Lavanyalabelle



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alcohol Abuse, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, BAMF Clint Barton, BAMF Darcy Lewis, BAMF Natasha Romanov, Captain America: The Winter Soldier Spoilers, Clint Barton & Darcy Lewis Friendship, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Darcy & Tony are bros, Darcy Lewis's Taser, Drug Abuse, Dubious Consent, Everyone Needs A Hug, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Except sometimes it does, F/F, F/M, Female Loki, Fluff and Angst, Gun Violence, I Don't Even Know, I Tried, I Was Drunk When I Wrote This, I wanted a romance, I wrote a farce instead, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Interspecies Relationship(s), Iron Man 3 Spoilers, Light Angst, Literally And Figuratively, Loki Has Issues, Loki Needs a Hug, M/M, Magic-Users, Meet-Cute, Minor Character Death, Minor Injuries, Minor Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Minor Reference to Bucky's Grampy (from Darth_Stitch's Two boys from Brooklyn), Minors references to the Doctor, Moving On, Multi, OH GOD WHY, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Fandoms Not Mentioned in Tags, Past Brainwashing, Past Character Death, Past Relationship(s), Past Torture, Poor Loki, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Post-Iron Man 3, Some Humor, Some Plot, Soul Bond, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, The Author Regrets Everything, The Author Regrets Nothing, Threesome - F/M/M, What Have I Done, What Was I Thinking?, Zombie Apocalypse, minor Bruce Banner/Jane Foster, minor Natasha Romanov/Sif, tasertricks - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-22
Updated: 2015-01-24
Packaged: 2018-02-26 15:41:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2657444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lavanyalabelle/pseuds/Lavanyalabelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a soulmate AU, based on prompts posted on my tumblr. I love Soulmate AUs and I wanted to write some.<br/>I'm not sure how well I've done. Please read it anyway. Or not.<br/>This has been done for amazing people who make my days brighter just by being or by gifting us their time and talent and sharing it with the world.<br/>Hope you like it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Strings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [leftennant](https://archiveofourown.org/users/leftennant/gifts), [greenfairy13](https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenfairy13/gifts), [clinozoisite](https://archiveofourown.org/users/clinozoisite/gifts), [citymusings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/citymusings/gifts), [Shadows_of_Shemai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadows_of_Shemai/gifts), [Rainne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainne/gifts), [amusewithaview](https://archiveofourown.org/users/amusewithaview/gifts), [VampiresAngel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampiresAngel/gifts).
  * Inspired by [write love on my skin](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1835587) by [amusewithaview](https://archiveofourown.org/users/amusewithaview/pseuds/amusewithaview). 



> Remember when you read my fic and feel tortured or find it a trainwreck, you should blame Lefty for her 12% for the other 88%, mea culpa. If you like it, she gets 88% of the credit and I get 12%. Remember that before you read it.  
> Some of the dialogues have been directly quoted from Thor. Principessa, for you.  
> Leftennant said this: You are in so much trouble now for requesting prompts, and leaving it all so open. *evil cackle* I want a Tasertricks AU, (but you knew that already) At some big holiday party that Loki doesn't want to attend but Thor forces him to go. He sees Darcy, and they immediately get connected by the red string of soulmate-ness, and can't go more than six feet away from each other for the next thirty days. How's that? :D  
> Lefty.

                                                             **Strings**

When Odin had gone to Jotunheim that day, many a millenia ago, to end the strife on Midgard, Frigga, then a new mother, sitting on the _Hliðskjálf_ had had a vision. She saw a baby cry, seemingly abandoned, asking for her mother. The eyes of the toddler were swimming in tears, like  precious aquamarines. Much as she wanted to offer succour to the child, she knew the baby was  yet to be born.

 The vision had made her weary and fretful; and her  son, Thor, came to mind. Thor was a delightful if a bit precocious child. _It must be the Berserker blood running through his veins, she mused._ She called for one of the guards and asked him to bring her news of the battle from the Gatekeeper.

'The battle rages on, my Queen.' said the Einherjar.

'I am going to visit my son. Keep watch and bring me any news you have of the king.' Speaking thus, she went to the royal nursery. Frigga wanted to gain some comfort from his innocent smile , so she went to her rooms. As she held Thor, she glanced into the scrying pool and saw Odin looking upon a newborn. He was but little, with jotun-blue skin and ruby red eyes.

As Odin held the baby, his skin changed and became pale like one of the Aesir, his eyes  slowly changed colours and Frigga found herself gazing into her sister Gefn's green eyes.

Frigga was lost in thoughts of the future and the past , when the guard returned with the news from Heimdall that the King was on his way home.

She returned Thor to the crib by the bed and waited with bated breath for her husband. Odin entered her chambers, bleeding from the gaping hole that was once his eye and holding a bundle.

'Frigga,' he said, 'meet your son. I found him near the Casket, left at the altar of the temple. He was abandoned, this little prince. He had Laufey's markings, a Laufeyson. Now he will be known as Odinson. He will unite the realms and bring peace.' His eyes gleamed in triumph,' What shall we name him?'

'I know you mean well. You want to protect the world.' She thought, _'but you don't want it to change.'_ She smiled and said, 'He is Loki, Bringer of Change.' _Loki Friggason._

**************************************************************************

And so Thor and Loki grew up to be brothers. They were close friends, the best of friends. But over the centuries, Thor's friends became more important than his brother, his precociousness changing into arrogance, the _berserker_ blood  running hot changing into a warrior's wrath. Loki slipped into the shadows, the shadows cast by the golden prince. Frigga counselled him, taught him the art of seidr, gave him his daggers and showed him how to survive.

'I don't understand, Mother. Why does nobody like me? Did I do something wrong? Even Thor doesn't play with me anymore.'

'No, my child.. you are not at fault. You are different. People tend to fear what is different.'

'Well, I don't want to be different! Not if they hate me for it. I want to be like Thor. Everybody loves him. Father likes him better and all our friends too. People laugh at me.'

' They don't understand, they are ignorant. Thor is Thor, you are Loki Friggason. And I love you, my son.. Your qualities and quirks makes you Loki. That is not shameful, that doesn't make you hateful. That makes you Loki, my little prince. You will become the greatest and most powerful sorcerer of the Nine Realms, my clever boy.'

'I love you Mother. I will make you proud.'

'You already do, Loki. One day all the realms will be beholden to you and stories will be told of your greatness.  And someday someone will come who would love you for you, not what you can do. With all of their heart and soul.'

'Really, Mother?'

' Yes. Now, come with me. I am going to show you something beautiful. The whole world, everyone tangled in strings.' Frigga smiled and led Loki to the weaving room.

********************************************************************

 'Am I cursed?'

 'No.'

'What am I?'

'You're my son.'

_Laufey's son.....flashes of blue, Father's(Odin) wearied visage, a room with broken and tangled threads, a kind and mischievous smile fading away in a whirl of colours- MOTHER!_

'What more than that?'

 **_'You're a monster.'_ ** _....blood red hair and distraught eyes._

'You are Loki Friggason.'

'Mother?'

_'If you fail... ' screaming white hot agony, 'if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he can't find you.'_

_.........................tendrils of memories long gone flit past as he chases them._

_'You think you know pain? He will make you long for something as sweet as pain.'_

_NOOO!_

_'I love you mother. I will make you proud.'_

_'You're a MONSTER!'  Mischievous eyes and kind smile changes into a pale distraught face, eyes burning with hatred and contempt._

_No, MOTHER!_

'I never wanted the throne. I only ever wanted to be your equal. Now fight me!'

'I will not fight you, brother.'

'I am not your brother. I never was.'

_jeering, snickering.._

_'Some do battle, other just do tricks.'_

_'You're incapable of sincerity.'_

_'_ I could have done it, Father. I could have done it. For you. For all of us.'

_Mother smiling, eyes twinkling .'There is only  one path to peace. See these strings? The red strings are the soulmates. Strings of fated souls, chosen by the Norns.'_

'No, Loki.'

' ** _There is only path to peace. Your extinction.'_**

_'What am I?'_

_'You're my son.'_

**_'Nothing lasts forever.'_**

_Screaming for mercy........' **You are all puppets.'**_

**_'You're a monster.'_ **

_'I am going to show you something beautiful. The whole world, everyone tangled in strings.'_

_'No, Loki.'_

_'Am I cursed?'_

_'No.'_

_'But....... **there are** **no strings on me.** '_

No, Loki.

 

 

He lets go

........ and falls.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Loki sucked in a shuddering breath, eyes open in a silent shout of despair.

'Loki? Loki, have you risen?' Thor knocked on Loki's door, bellowing. 'Wake up, brother! 'Tis is a most  glorious day!'

 

 'I am awake, brother. Give me a moment to dress.' He said grumbling.

 

'I shall wait in the lounge then, shall I?' Thor asked, good humouredly.

 

'Please do.' Loki got up from his bed, snapping his fingers to change the covers and make the bed. Satisfied, he goes to the bathroom and turns on the icy spray of the shower. He felt invigorated as the pain from the night terrors is washed away along with the sweat. He slicked back his hair as he closed his eyes and rested his head, leaning on the cool bathroom tiles.

'Jarvis?' he called and looked at the ceiling.

 

'Yes , sir?' The AI enquired politely.

 

'Is Thor still waiting?'

'Mr. Odinson is in the communal kitchen, talking to Capt. Rogers.'

'Oh, well. I thought so. He is too restless to wait for long.'

'Sir, they seem to be making breakfast.' Jarvis said in the approximation of bewilderment.

'Seem to be?' Loki raised an eyebrow.

'The food is disappearing at a fast rate. Almost too fast for my eyes to catch.' He sighed in fond exasperation.

 

'Ah! Thor or the good Captain?' Loki smirked.

 

'Neither.  It's Agent Barton who is hanging from the vents and inhaling the pancakes.'

 

'Hmm. I see.' Loki dressed himself in loungewear, which for him meant a hunter green tunic shirt and loose leather britches, asking Jarvis to inform him when the kitchen was empty.

 

'Mr. Odinson, you do know that they will welcome you willingly.'

 

'I know, Jarvis. I'm just not ready to be forgiven.'

 

'Sir, as Mr. Wilson and the other Mr. Odinson have said repeatedly, there is nothing to forgive. They can be your friends.'

 

'I do have a friend here.'

 

'May I ask who, sir?'

 

'Friends call me Loki, Jarvis.' Loki replied, smiling.

 

'Oh!' Jarvis breathed with pleased surprise.

 

'Mr. Odinson is in your lounge and asking your whereabouts, Mr.. Loki.'

 

'Please tell him that I'll be out in a minute.'

 

 

 

'Is my brother alright, Jarvis?'

 

'Loki said he'll be out presently, sir.'

 

Thor's mouth was hanging open, stunned, when Loki entered.

 

'Do you need feeding again, Thor?' Loki said innocently, mouth curved in a sly smile.

 

Thor snapped his mouth shut abruptly, glowering. 'I see you've made a new friend.'

 

Loki's eyes narrowed at him. 'So I have. What of it? Come to mock, have you?' 

 

'Nay, brother! I am pleased. Jarvis is a worthy spirit indeed. As are you. '

 

'Thank you, Mr. Odinson.' responded Jarvis.

 

'Loki, the Captain has made pancakes . Come break your fast. My shieldbrothers would be your friends if you give yourself a chance.'

 

'You know Thor, I think I will.'

 

Loki and Thor went into the communal kitchen, finding Tony and the archer there, battling over a plate of pancakes with forks.

 

'I believe those are mine.' says Loki,  making a gesture towards the food.

 

'Every man for himself.' snarked Tony.

 

'You forget , mortal.' Loki announced haughtily. He snapped his fingers and the plate appeared in his hand. 'I am a God. I am the God of Mischief' he smirked.

 

'Oh bloody hell!' cried Barton.

 

'Hel is not bloody. She is merely different.' Loki said with a sneer on his face.

 

'Brother, they do not mean to insult Hela. They would not be so unkind.' Thor tried to appease Loki.

 

'You are right,Thor. Nobody dares insult Hela Lokadottir.'

 

'Wait, what?' Barton was gaping, doing a very credible fish impersonation.

 

 'Say what now? So Hell is real? I mean the myths do say that you have children. So is Sleipnir is your kid too? Like Fenrir and Jormungandr? Wow, dude! I get your leather and metal fetish now. But a horse?! You are a kinky one...' Tony spoke in a rush, eyes wide.

 

'Cease your foolish babbling, Stark. And close your mouth Barton. To  answer your impertinent question, yes and no. Hela is my only child. Fenrir and Jormungandr are pets. Sleipnir , I created on accident while doing a spell on the mare that bred with Svadilfari. '

 

'Huh. What parts of the myths are true then?' Tony's mind was teeming with questions. He asked, ' Hey!What about the one where Thor dresses as a bride?'

 

'That is true enough. He made a very convincing bride too, if a bit a beardy.' Loki said, eyes dancing in remembered mirth.

 

'I am sure.' Tony grins.

 

'Thor in drag?! That is an image my mind does not need. At. All.' Barton rubbed his eyes, as if by doing so he could scrub away the picture from his brain.

 

Thor grimaced and blushed heavily. 'You can tell tales of our adventures later. Eat first.'

 

'Speaking of. I am hungry too, you know' Tony pouted. ' Tweety here has eaten half a dozen of those. Jarvis, is there any food left in the kitchen?'

 

'Sir, there is last week's half eaten pizza and a carton of Orange Chicken.'

 

'Oh goodie!'  The inventor cheered.

 

'Sir, Ms. Potts has expressly forbidden you to eat food that is more than three days old. Also, I should remind you that Dr. Banner is studying the mold on the three cheese pizza.'

 

'Ew! Stark, I thought you'd use your labs for research. No matter, there is still the chicken.' Barton wrinkles his nose at Tony.

 

'Hey, don't look at me.' Tony cried in indignation.

 

'Agent Barton, I believe there is a warning against touching the chicken. It is Ms. Lewis's.' JARVIS said in a stern tone.

 

'Pfft. Like I care.' He made a face.

 

Tony and the brothers watched on, amused.

 

'Ms. Lewis requested me to warn you, and she said, I quote here, ' Keep your grabby hands off of my food or I swear to Thor, I'll cut you. That means you Clint, and you too Tony.' Jarvis declared in a smug voice. He had a bit of a soft spot for Ms. Lewis and her kind yet ruthlessly brilliant ways.

 

'Damn!' said Tony and Clint in unison.

 

Thor chuckled in appreciation. 'She is indeed a formidable lady.'

 

Loki, interested in hearing more of this Ms. Lewis, raised an eyebrow saying, 'Oh?'

 

'Verily! She felled me with my own weapon. She was most brave in trying to defend the Lady Jane and friend Selvig.'

 

'She used the mighty Mjolnir against you?'

 

'No, she struck me with a box of handheld lightning. 'Taser', I think she calls it. Though, if she tried,  I do believe Mjolnir would find her worthy.'

 

Barton exclaimed, 'Yeah. She's got style too. I saw her turning down that blond playboy with more chutzpah than I have ever seen.'

 The archer smiled in remembrance and narrated the events as observed from his perch.

 

_Fandral looks at her and turns on the charm. 'Are all earth maidens as fair as you?'_

 

 _'No' She says smirking. Turning to Sif, she asks her,' Are all_ _ásynjur_   as badass as you?'

 

_'No.' Sif  replies laughing._

 

_'May I express my adoration of your badass-dom, my Lady?' She asks, mimicking Fandral._

 

_'Uh...yes.' Sif says confused._

 

_She gets a sly look in her eyes, winks at Sif and kisses her._

 

_Fandral gapes at them. She turns on a  million dollar smile and says, 'Why should boys have all the fun?'_

 

_Even Coulson is trying to suppress his blush and other important bits. Clint looking on thinks, 'Hot damn! Man, I've gotta tell Tasha. She would definitely like to hear about it.'_

 

Thor laughed, remembering the incident clearly. Tony blinked. Loki could almost see his brain whirring away.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tony and Pepper had invited everyone to the newly rebuilt Malibu mansion for Christmas. That meant Avengers, their family, friends and soulmates, ex-SHIELD agents, new SHIELD agents. Everyone also meant the newly minted Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Phil Coulson.

 

Thor wanted to go and rejoice with his comrades and his family. But Loki was stubbornly refusing to go. He wasn't ready to face Coulson, having killed him while under the influence of Thanos. His brother tried to coax, cajole and goad him into compliance, but he was not the Silvertongue.'

 

'Come, brother. 'Tis a joyous occasion, we should celebrate it. Besides you used to love Yule.'

 

'For the last time Thor. I .don't .want .to .go . '

 

'Brother...' Thor implored.

 

'Look Thor, I'm unwilling to face the man who I unwittingly murdered.'

 

'You were not at fault!'

 

'I was weak. Weak to succumb to _HIS_ control. That is fault enough!'

 

'Loki, no.'

 

'Thor, please. You go and rejoice in my stead. I'll be fine.'

 

'I'll miss you at the feast, brother. That reminds me, Mother has sent a package for you through the Bifrost.'

 

'And what about you, brother? Did the Lady Sif come for you?'

 

'Loki!'  Thor howled in outrage and shyness, understanding the double entendre.

 

'Oh, Thor! I was jesting.'

 

'Sif sent a letter, she said she would come to the feast.'

 

'Don't keep her waiting. Now begone.'

 

'I love you, brother' said a grinning Thor.

 

'I know.' Loki murmured, 'And I you.'

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Loki found a golden scroll in the package saying, ' _Think of me and say my name. Love, Mother.'_

 

_'Mother.Frigga.'_

 

'My son. Why do you look so upset? Is anything troubling you?'

 

'The warrior I killed will be at the feast tonight, Mother and I find myself unable to face my demons. There is no rest for the wicked. No peace.'

 

'Attend the feast, my little prince. Do not give up. You may yet find your peace.'

 

**************************************************************************

 

Darcy  Lewis was born on 13 June, 1986, without a soulmark. As she announced her entry into the world with a lusty cry, her mother who was dead tired started to cry too. The nurse murmured soft apologies, 'I'm sorry Mrs. Lewis, but you have to name her.'

 

'Harry. Where is he? It's my fault, it's all my fault... ' she started muttering, for she was a blank too. And in those days blanks were not accepted by the society. They were looked down upon, suffered discrimination everywhere. Moreover, the simple and narrow-minded people thought that those born without soulmarks were the followers of Satan; for if they had no soulmark, how could they have a soul?

 

Henry Lewis, a lawyer, having an avid interest in literature and a rather controversial sense of humour, enchanted by his daughter ironically named her Darcy Katherine. Thus thumbing his nose at society. He didn't care. His daughter was a pure being, made,  he felt, of magic.

 

Henry ,himself , had met his soulmates( having two soulmates of different gender had made him the black sheep of his family,  although his progressive thinking and devil-may-care attitude didn't not help his case)  while they were already married to each other. Henry was in his gap year and backpacking across Europe, when he came across them. His marks had begun tingling when he realised that he had been staring at beautiful redhead for quite some time when he heard ' _Beautiful, isn't she?'_ immediately followed by _' James! I think he is ours.'_ Apparently, they were recently married and were high school sweethearts. They had just exchanged names when there was an explosion nearby and in the resulting melee, lost sight of each other. Henry was in a foreign nation and the telephone directory could not perform miracles. Two years later, his marks flared and turned red. He lost consciousness and ended in the nearby hospital.

 

He met Charlotte in the ER(who had been admitted because of an accident which killed her parents and left her with broken bones)and struck up a conversation with her. He learned that she was a blank and she came to know that he had just lost his last hope of seeing his soulmates as his marks were now red. Their conversation turned into a tentative friendship which gave them solace and later love. They married two years later despite the protestations of his now estranged family. Darcy's birth would have been a point of reconciliation had she not been a blank like her mother.

 

        By the time Darcy was two, she knew that her Daddy adored her and she could get him to do whatever she wanted and that her Mama always cried. Charlotte's post-partum depression had taken its toll, making Henry the primary caregiver in the family. The day after Darcy's third birthday, Charlotte resolved to see a therapist and try to overcome her problems. The entire family had gone out for a treat, when a fight broke out in the streets and a ricochet from a stray bullet killed her.

 

Henry carried on as he had, his first priority was Darcy. He imbued his daughter with his resilience and his  never-say-die attitude. Darcy was her father's daughter, her charming and outspoken and sometimes brash exterior hid a kind heart and an old soul.

 

Darcy's childhood had never been easy, being a blank, she was not invited to her classmates' birthday parties. She did not have many friends to begin with except her father, who according to her, was the bestest. Being different herself and thus  being treated as a truant, whether or not she was guilty, made her sensitive and compassionate towards who suffered the same plight for different reasons. As a child she wanted to become Captain America when she grew up. While Henry could not give her the shield or the serum, he gave her boxing lessons which later turned into various martial arts form and an intricate knowledge of the law,  and its loopholes. So instead of the shield, she grew up to have an excuse ready, ' _It was in self-defence!'_ and a mean right hook(which was applied liberally to the affected area oops...person). Adolescence brought in boobs, a smart mouth, meaner right hooks and a Taser which she named 'Captain'. Her obsession with both the good Captains grew with time. Darcy became friends with Sharon when they were both made reps in the Student Representative School at Open High school in urban Oregon Hill. Sharon lived with her parents Harrison and Amanda Carter. They became best friends as they shared similar ideals. Her own words which was spread around her collarbone like a neckclace, _'Hey, if you want.....if you want, you can use my machine.'_  did not inspire much confidence.  Guys often  used that in a suggestive if not in an outright lewd manner. Darcy being an buxom blank, got various names. Boys thought that she would be/should be easy. Suffice to say, their martial arts lessons were often put to good use.  They bonded over insensitive assholes, computers and Captain America.

 

When they were 15, their class went to the Richmond RV expo on a field-trip. Separated from their group, Darcy and Sharon, came upon an old  woman who told them that their mates were in pain and they should be kind to them. When asked how by Sharon, she said a cryptic ,'You will know when you do.' Darcy just shook her head adamantly saying that she was obviously a phony as she did not even have a mark. The woman cackled, muttering  something about strings.

 

As time passed, they forgot about the incident. Their ambitions and aspirations became more important, Sharon applied to VMI, NWC and got accepted in both, choosing VMI because it provided the most challenge. Darcy, meanwhile, chose Culver over Berkeley and Columbia because of its proximity to her city, and thus her father.

 

 Darcy wanted to change the world, do more, be more. And she felt right at home at Culver, until her Student Advisor let her know that she still needed six science credits to graduate. As she had no intention of doing another semester of college, her only other option was to take an internship under a professor. A quick look at the notice board let her know that only three of them were asking for interns. One of them, a Dr. Samson, asked her a variety of questions(which were, in her opinion, quite similar to those asked in eHarmony) and if she had any medical/nursing training. To which she  cheekily replied, 'Eh. I know first-aid and CPR and I make a mean chicken soup.'  The good Doctor laughed but had to let her go. The next one made the mistake of making a pass at her. Darcy slid him a business card, 'My solicitor will give you a call.' And then she sneered and did a Draco, 'Wait 'til my father hears about this!' (for funsies, because she was  weirdly wired like that). The last one turned to be a bit dotty, an astrophysicist, Dr. Jane Foster was obsessed with the stars, her theories were interesting if a bit out there. She was often ridiculed by the science community, Darcy took one look at her and her protective instincts came to the fore. It helped, of course, that she would have to go to New Mexico for the duration of the internship(YAY for Roadtrip!). Jane took her on as that  she only got one application for the post( Darcy had hacked Jane's university issued email account and deleted the other applications. What? She always says- 'Why depend on luck, when I can depend on me?' Exhibit A- Soulmates and/or lack thereof.)

 

She went to Puente Antiguo with Jane. Then Blond, Cut and Godly fell from the sky. She used the Captain judiciously. He turned out to be an actual alien/demigod. Cue SHIELD. The Lady Sif and the Warriors Three make an entrance, followed by the giant alien fire-breathing robot. The Asgardians leave via Bifrost. 'Figures.' Darcy thought, 'Ancient Bridge, I should have paid attention.' She wanted to change the world, and her world changed.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darcy decided to stay with Jane, then the second alien invasion happened, which she had to watch on a TV in a dingy room at the lab from Tromso. Thor returned to fight with the Earthborn Avengers. They fought and won. Thor returned to Asgard without a visit or even a phone call.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The Covergence happened, things got really freaky while the third alien invasion occurred this time led by Malekith and his Dark Elves. Loki helped Thor save Jane and avenge his mother, and later found out that the death of his mother was an illusion cast to draw out the truth from Loki. Asgardian tough love. Meh. Thor returned to earth and killed Malekith, the Scientists Three and the Lady Darcy( she was so calling themselves by that moniker) helped save the world. Thor went back to Asgard.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

SHIELD was blown up by Capt. America(squee! fangirling!) and the Black Widow (gasp, shudder,sigh,whoa!) with the help of a man with Wings(?!), to destroy Hydra. The Winter Soldier was actually Bucky Barnes, again(?!), brainwashed by Hydra into compliance.

 

Tony Stark offered all of them a place in the Stark Tower which included Darcy. Along the road, Darcy made a lot of new friends, and was reunited with a few. She and Clint were total bros.  The Winter Soldier 'call-me-Bucky-doll' had an ongoing flirtation with her, sometimes joined by the presence of the alluring Black Widow(it was scary and arousing). The ex-Soviet assassins were made deadlier by the fact that they were soulmates. Captain America, as it turned out, was a paragon of virtue; Steve Rogers, on the other hand, was a little shit And her bestie Sharon's soulmate(small word, huh?). Dr. Banner was rocking the hot but absentminded professor-slash-scientist thing he had going on when not Hulked out. Tony Stark- genius, ~~playboy,~~ self-proclaimed sugar-daddy to the Avengers( 'wasn't the term philanthropist, Sir?') did have a huge heart and an even bigger purse. Jarvis was a godsend and her new bestie. Pepper 'Goddamn' Potts was a living goddess. The man with the wings was an ex-pararescue codenamed Falcon, good guy and parttime therapist . Ex Deputy Director of SHIELD Maria Hill was good people and a badass but no ninja like Coulson.

 

They were all living in the Tower like a big, happy, dysfunctional family, when Thor came. With Loki in tow. It was later heard that he had actually invaded Earth under the unholy trifecta of torture/coercion/brainwashing.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darcy was happy with her life. She got a part-time job as a nerd herder, training under and assisting Pepper Potts, and was also a full-time student (She got admission in Columbia to study law and business administration after finishing her degree in political science, and on SI funding she could be an eternal student if she wanted.) With the fall of Shieldra and the resulting data dump, her following the NDAs were no longer deemed necessary, so she could finally come clear to her father.

 

Her tests  and assignments were also over and done with and she just wanted to enjoy her Winter Break. Speaking of holidays, Tony and Pepper had invited her to their mansion in Malibu which had been rebuilt after the Mandarin incident. Tony insisted that everyone should wear red and gold as he had destroyed all his Iron Man suits and wanted everyone in his colours. Pepper had humoured him and included it the invitation.

 

Everyone had decided to do a Secret Santa since it promised to be  more fun, Jarvis had activated privacy protocols so that nobody could cheat. Darcy had got Coulson who had returned her iPod with new playlists and his own Taser(SHIELD issued) and showing a glimpse of his humour, sent an unsigned note with it saying _'Use it wisely.'_  Darcy had given him a hand knit scarf and signed Captain America cards.

 

    The deadly duo had circumvented the rules a bit saying that _this is an early new year gift._ They had given her an invitation of their own asking her to join them in a triad, which really blew her mind. Darcy was undecided, she wanted to give it a go but did not want to lose what they had if it fell through. Sighing, she got dressed in her Christmas finery financed by her spankin' new Black Amex card given to her by Pepper when she completed six months as her assistant. She had bought a strapless knee length lace dress  in red with an asymmetrical skirt, a pair of really regal yet funky looking black and gold Jimmy Choo, a blue-black leather bolero jacket which framed her ample cleavage very nicely, a gold mask with a beautiful leafy design that fully covered her eyes, half her cheeks, forehead and nose. She left her hair down,finished it off with her signature red lipstick and was good to go. She was ready to rock their socks off.

 

***************************************************************************

 The party was a blast, then again it was a Stark party, and when were those not?  The floors open to the public were decorated by swathes of red and gold cloth with branches of holly and mistletoe twined with them. Most of the new agents were awed by the Avengers and had retreated to their own little corners after introductions and appropriate _~~fangirling~~_  small talk. Clint, Tony, Sam and Bucky all wanted to play some party games. Someone suggested Never have I but as the group as a whole was a mix of eclectic, extraordinary and frankly eccentric people( Aliens, Spies, Scientists..... oh my!), they quickly ran out of things to say. They had gone through more than a dozen bottles of mulled wine already which had  made them form a barbershop quartet comprising of Natasha, Sharon, Darcy and Sif who started with the song 'You're a grand old flag' as a tribute to the First Avenger that  devolved into 'I kissed a girl and liked it'( which made Tony and Clint delirious with glee). The party was slowly winding down as most of the newbies left and some guests excused themselves for an early night. Only the Avengers, their soulmates and their friends were still up for fun and games which meant that Tony, Pepper, Jane, Bucky, Natasha, Clint, Darcy, Sam, Maria, Steve, Sharon, Sif, Thor, Bruce, Rhodey and Phil remained.  Bruce and Phil being the relatively sane ones proposed another game instead of Never have I, Clint countered with Truth or Dare which was accepted enthusiastically by the others.

 

     Pepper, being the host, was given the chance to spin the bottle first.  The bottle pointed to Tony who chose Truth and said that he wanted to marry her. She was stunned and asked, 'Is that a proposal, Tony?'. He answered with a cheeky but nervous, 'Yes. I dare you to marry me', to which Pepper replied, ' Will that be all, Mr. Stark?' and Tony said, 'That'll be all, Ms. Potts.' Congratulations were graciously given and received. Natasha who had an inkling that this would happen excused herself and went with Bucky to bring in the books and collect on the bets. It was Clint's turn, who being the meddling pervert he was (he knew about the assassins and their intentions towards Darcy) used his skills to spin the bottle towards Darcy. Darcy knew that Clint would ask  her about Bucky and Natasha in front of the others and she didn't want them to influence her decisions; she chose Dare. Which was a win-win situation for Clint as he would get an answer either way, he dared her to go stand near the door and make-out with the next person to enter the room.

 

Darcy went and stood under the doorway to wait for Natasha or Bucky to come. She turned around to stick out her tongue and make faces at Clint. Clint who was returning the favour suddenly stopped short. He saw another woman walking at a rapid pace towards the room. She was wearing a gold-coloured Grecian style gown with trail that hung from her shoulder and golden strappy heels, with a single long golden earring brushing her collar bone. She was enchanting and looked otherwordly. He was tense because he had heard stories from Thor about Amora and her sister Lorelei who had been on Earth the last year had caused a buttload of problems for Phil's team. Sif had captured her and taken her back to Asgardian prison but she could have escaped again.

 

Unfortunately, Phil was busy talking with Sif and Thor was busy guzzling wine and toasting Pepper and Tony. Steve, however, had noticed Clint's preoccupation. He spoke with Clint and decided to verify if she was an invitee. Steve readied his shield and asked Jarvis.

 

Jarvis answered, 'Her face could not be matched to any in the facial recognition program. However, she is giving off a special signature quite similar to that of Lo..' stopping his reply mid-word like he was stunned.

 

The woman had reached Darcy who had planted a kiss on her lips and both of them were  standing stock still. Darcy, meanwhile, had emitted a loud shriek(Jarvis's speakers were drowned out by the high pitched sound).

 

The woman who had been kissed by Darcy was looking at their hands, which were entwined and now bound with strings.

 

 Sharon, who had been ogling her soulmate's delectable ass was bewildered by the sudden piercing sound. She was familiar to Darcy's banshee like wail, having heard it twice before. The first time was when she was selected for the school debate team and asked out by her crush on the same day and the second time when Bucky and Natasha had both asked her out.

 

Sharon's full attention was focused on Darcy now, looking for the reason. Her eyes narrowed and zeroed on Darcy's hand. Darcy's hand which was tied to another by red strings. She cried out, 'STRINGS! OHMIGOD DARCY STRINGS!'

 

Sharon's speech, Darcy's shriek had caught the attention of the others, and Natasha and Bucky who were on the other side of the house came running.

 

'What did we miss?' Bucky asked, 'Are you alright, doll?' Natasha was observing the other woman closely.

 

Steve wanting to understand the situation, used his Captain America voice and said, 'Ok. Somebody explain.'

 

It didn't help the situation in anyway as Sharon, Darcy and the woman started talking simultaneously.

 

'I kissed... She...And I..Strings?! But...'

 

'I have always longed but I never thought... I had given up hope....Norns, mother was right!'

 

'Darcyhasstringsandtheoldwomansatthefairhadsaidsomethingaboutstringsandpainandsoulmates!Ohmygod ohmygod! SoulmatesDarcystrings.'

 

Thor and Sif were trying to butt in too. Bruce had started practising deep breathing exercises. Finally, Jarvis had had enough or Pepper had enough and asked Jarvis to intervene. Jarvis cleared his virtual throat. 'AHEM. May I please have a moment to speak?'

 

Every person in the room hearing the normally amiable and well-mannered AI's annoyed voice quitened down. Jarvis continued, 'As I was saying to Capt. Rogers and Mr. Barton before Miss Darcy's  shrieked, the woman is giving off a special signature quite similar to that of Loki. In fact it is a 90% match. I'm quite sure she is related to Loki, if indeed she is not Loki herself.'

 

'Why would Loki come as a girl? Can he even do that?' Tony asked bemused.

 

'I do what I want Stark.' the woman answered.

 

'Brother, did I not say that you should give yourself a chance to be happy.'

 

'Thor, you can say I told you so later to Loki. I know you rarely get the chance but we should call Queen Frigga.'

 

'Indeed, my lady Sif. You are correct. I'll call out for Heimdall immediately.'

 

'There is no need, Thor' Lady Loki interrupted, taking out his scroll and calling for her.

 

Darcy spoke up. 'What do you mean? I want answers. Right now.'

 

'My lady Darcy, allow me to speak.'

 

'I am Loki, I believe that we are fated by the Norns. I have to call Mother to explain further because to my knowledge there has been no Midgardian who has been fated for the Aesir or the Jotuns as Midgardian lives are very short compared to either.' Loki explained.

 

Sharon who had been stunned into silence, now said, 'Darcy and I had gone for a schooltrip to a fair where we met an old woman who had said that we should be kind to our mates as they would be hurt. And she also said we will know and muttered something about strings.'

 

'Indeed, my child. You are both correct.' Frigga appeared.

 

'Aesir, Jotuns and the inhabitants of other realms are connected to their soulmates by red strings. We call them the strings of fate. Midgardians have words instead of strings because there are too many of you spread over a very large area. It'd  be very difficult for Midgardians to live when their soulmates as far away as the strings remain tied until the bond is consummated. I can travel without Odin as Sif lives without Thor because the bonds were consummated.'

 

'Ah, I see. By consummation you mean physical relations' Clint piped up.

 

'I assume you mean the act of sexual congress when you say physical relations?' Frigga asked.

 

'Yes, ma'am. I mean, yes, Your Majesty.'

 

'Physical relations does not mean the act of intercourse or any related activities. Some people find the act not to their liking, maybe even distasteful, they are still happy and live with their soulmates. Moreover soulmates may  be platonic or indeed be like Lady Jane whose soulmate is the Yggdrasil as she strives to understand its soul and body.'

 

'Your Highness, if I may, how are the bonds completed or consummated?' Steve asked.

 

'Call me Frigga, dear one. A soulbond can be completed by marriage or by sexual congress or by other physical relations such as holding hands.'

 

'Mother, how does this pertain to Loki and Lady Darcy?'

 

Darcy said, ' My Queen, what if one us does not want to do any of those things? We hardly know each other.'

 

'And yet you kissed Loki.' Frigga smirked. Tony could see where Loki got his.

 

'Mother! Lady Darcy is correct. We hardly know each other. And I can't hope that she will decide to give me a chance.' Loki said blushing.

 

'Aww! She's so cute when she blushes. Just adorable.' Darcy thought.

 

'Loki, don't forget that I can See. I do have the gift of foreknowledge and wisdom.'

 

'Both of you'll have to stay within six feet of each other for two moons, a month by Midgardian time I believe.'

 

'A month?' Loki wondered.

 

'Tied like this?' Darcy continued.

 

'It's impossible.' They finished together.

 

'Silence! If you do not want to leave the rest of your days in agony and die in a very short time, you've to comply with it. A bond between a Midgardian and a half Jotun is critical, you must build it, stabilise it or you'll perish with the bond. In the meantime, I suggest you get to know each other.'

 

'Yes, Mother.' 'Yes, your highness.' They said chastised.

 

'Dear ones, you've my blessings.' She kissed Thor and Loki on their cheeks.

 

'Thank you, Mother.'    

 

 

'Loki?'

 

'Yes, Mother?'

 

'Should I ask our seamstresses to make wedding costumes for my son or my daughter?'

 

Loki blinked. He had forgotten that he was still in his female form. He blushed and changed.

 

'I See.' Frigga smiled and disappeared.

 

'Okay, so that happened.' Darcy said to Loki.

 

'Yes', he replied smiling. 'Will you allow me to court you?'

 

She looked towards Sharon who nodded and was blinking back tears. Clint had a stupid grin on his face. Thor was giving her the puppy dog eyes. Others were smiling.

 

'Doll, if he gives you cause to leave or hurts you, you can come to us. Me and Natasha, we're there for you. For anything.' Bucky said gruffly, 'If it doesn't work out, remember that you're not alone. Give us a call.'

 

'Anything at all.' Natasha said winking.

 

'Huh.' Tony said, 'How about that? Pepper did you see the ex-Soviet Spysassins propositioning Darcy in front of her soulmate? Did you know this was happening? Pep I'll make a suit for you, if they try to act fresh or anything, you can fly away to me or blast them to pieces or.... what am I saying... I will boot you out. Both of you will be booted out by me or Jarvis or Brucie-poo will Hulk smash you or .......

 

'Tony!'

 

'Yes, dear.' 

 

'Shut up.'


	2. Strings( for your eyes only)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's what I envisioned our lovely characters wearing.

Darcy.

Darcy's red dress:

  
Darcy's shoes

Darcy's bolero and mask

 

 

Lady Loki.

 

  
Loki in the gown

 

 If you want me to write you a fic based on Soulmate AU, you can  [Leave your prompt here.](justdessertsfortea) Alternatively, you can also ask for it on the comment section of this fic. For the most part, I've been asked to do fics in the Marvel universe, but I am willing to do other fandoms too, crossover prompts are welcome as well. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos, and Shadows of Shemai for commenting on the link problem.  
> Please review, reviews are good for the soul, both yours and mine.


	3. Crazy, crazy nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein the universe is conspiring(not lazy) and there is a coincidence(but they may not always be good). Also, wherein Darcy is a bamf, Loki is like a lost puppy.  
> And there is a surprise at the end as a nod to Rainne, who is brill.  
> For the gorgeous greenfairy13. GF, hope you like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greenfairy13 said: Darcy x Loki, Gangster AU and as a sentence 'W .....(let's keep it a surprise for those not in the know, shall we?)  
> Watching the numerous cop shows only help so much. I was confused at first, then got frustrated, then I thought,'Fuck this shit!' and started writing. I don't know what happened next, this fic is a bit like Frankenstein's creature.  
> Oh, well.  
> Please fasten your seatbelts, and suspend your disbelief; this is going to be a bumpy ride.

[Please leave your prompts here.](justdessertsfortea.tumblr.com)

   

This is how I imagined Darcy. 

 

James 'Jimmy C' Coonan was born in December 21, 1946 in the Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan area of New York City. When Coonan was a young man, Mickey Spillane, a well-known mobster, kidnapped his father John, a local accountant.

Spillane frequently did this to merchants in the area, and would ransom them back to their families. His father was pistol-whipped and severely beaten. After, Coonan nursed a powerful grudge against Spillane. Coonan formed a more powerful crew and took the neighbourhood over from Spillane. His crew known as the Westies made him one of the most infamous Irish-American mobster and racketeer of the time.

He married his wife, Edna  in 1974 and moved to a modest two-story house in a middle class suburb in New Jersey. After a brief prison stint of four years due to being convicted of weapons charges, he returned and resumed his power; and lived his life normally till the year 1988 when he was convicted of racketeering under the RICO Act and was sentenced to 60 years of prison without parole.

These are all verifiable facts. Anybody could check them over the internet.

The rest of his notorious life, however, was shrouded in secrecy; which was justifiable if you consider his profession.

_______________________________________________________________________________

_People try to take my soul away,_

_but I don't hear  the rap that they all say_

_They try to tell us we don't belong,_

_that's alright, we're millions strong_

_This is my music, it makes me proud_

_These are people and this is  my crowd._

Darcy Jacqueline 'Jaime' Lewis grew up on the story of Bonnie and Clyde which was way cooler and  more badass than Romeo and Juliet, she felt.  Being brought up by her  druggie ex-gun moll of a mother and a gun-toting conman uncle she learned quite a few things. She was certain that being a gangster was better than being a gangster's gal, you just had to be clever about it like her dear uncle Johnny. Her mama had made that clear as a crystal seeing how her absentee father had just upped and walked away from them, and stopping to send money two years after her birth was like adding an insult to a very old injury. She had known that she was foolish in continuing affairs with a married man but she had been happy being known as the mistress of a mob boss, especially since he was her soulmate. Regardless, Darlene Lewis felt that leaving her  and his child for his wife was a much greater evil than getting convicted and consequently jailed.   

Johnny Lewis adored his niece. He thought that their lifestyle was no good for Darcy. It was true that it was better than being on the business end of a gun someday and hence was trying for a normal life for Darcy. He trained her to be prepared for any eventuality but taught her the valuable lesson of blending in and lying low. As a result, by the time Darcy Lewis went off to college, she was already quite proficient in firearms ,forgery and the art of streetfighting and most importantly, lying through her teeth.  Her mama, God bless her soul, wanted the best for Darcy but did not know what constituted this purported  best. She believed that her daughter would always be a kid born on the wrong side of the tracks. Given the _'You ain't nothin' but a troublemaker, girl.'_  curling up her spine, which Darlene had never been able to overcome, she had reasons for thinking so. Darlene died in a haze of drugs when Darcy was fifteen. It was then that she decided she would be better. She resolved to be better for soulmate, _'Hey, that sounds like my luck .'_

After that,  Johnny upped his game, doubled his money and closed shop. He transferred most of his assets and a large bulk of money to Jacqueline James.  Thus Jacqueline James aka Darcy Lewis became the proud owner of an Enfield motorcycle, a strip club-slash-restobar serving both male and female clients in Manhattan and a tidy nest egg at the age of 23 while she was still at college studying Law at Yale.

Jacqueline had always expected to end up behind bars someday. Given her upbringing, it was not ridiculous to think so. What she did not expect was that it would be because she had stopped an instance of sexual harassment  or for taking part in a protest rally organised by the LGBTQ community of her college against a hate crime committed by the heir of a rich trustee.  Both times she had done what she thought was right.

Jane, her dorm-mate was a  tomboy with a passion for plaids and Science! She was well on her way of becoming the youngest student with multiple PhDs.  Darcy and Jane had become fast friends from the very first day.

 The incident happened when they were both in the north cafeteria. Jane had been gushing about an upcoming conference headed by Dr. Bruce Banner where she had been asked to present a paper, "Jacqueline can you believe it? I'll be finally meeting him. And oh! I have always wanted to do some more research  on Einstein-Rosen bridges. Presenting this paper will give me a chance to win some much needed grant money. I'm so excited!" she stopped talking when a shadow fell over her shoulder. As excitable as she was about Science! she was still insecure. Looking up Darcy saw that Josh and Jesse were looming nearby. Josh was the college bike and a rat-arsed bastard who couldn't take no for an answer, had been pursuing Jane relentlessly making excessively lame innuendo.

 He said , in what he must have thought, was a seductive drawl ,'Jemma. My kitten you can research my body anytime you like. You can bring your own research assistant if you want!' he finished winking at Jacqueline.

'My name is _Jane._ And I'm not ever going to _research_ your body unless it was to study the decomposition rate of human flesh.'

Josh gaped,' You..you.' Jesse was glaring at Jane.

'And I have already  done my research'  Jacqueline piped in.

'You what? I don't remember you. '  He waggled his eyebrows.

Jesse demanded, 'When did this happen Josh? You didn't say anything to me.'

 'Ah! Don't worry, he is not cheating on you. You can carry on with the twincest, no problem. Empirical studies of gathered data from your..ahem.. past acquaintances  says that you're a two bob jake with a two -bit dick to match.'

'Why, you!' Jesse shrieked.

'You bitch.' Josh said threateningly.

Jane was smirking, 'Jacqueline' she said.

'Yes, Jane?' she replied.

'Excellent analysis!' She said amidst giggles. Jesse stomped away.

Josh had flushed red in embarrassment and anger. He crowded Darcy around the table and tried to look menacing.

'I'll teach you a less....sOW!'  he yelled.

'No. You'll find that I'll teach you a more painful lesson, if you don't understand this one.' Darcy had kneed his groin and kicked him down.

She continued, calmly taking out her X26, 'You see this? Next time, remember that having a trust fund and a dick won't get you laid. No means no. Don't bother us again. Please and thank you!' She finished with a manic smile showing her pearly whites.

They walked away. The next day Jacqueline James was called out of class by security.

'What do you have to say for yourself, Ms. James?'

'It was in self defence.' Darcy gritted out, biting her tongue with her teeth, 'Sir.'

The man did not relent. He kept carrying on about violence committed against a student coming from such a good and well known family. She  calmly reiterated her statement adding ,' I'll sue you  six ways to Sunday for sexual harassment , negligence and discrimination aided and abetted by  campus security and college administration. And you know Jane? The witness and the other victim? Her godfather works for SHIELD.'  She smiled shark-like. 'I'm a law student, I'm sure there are other charges that can be drawn against you.'

She was let go in an hour after filling up some paperwork.

The second time it happened, she had been in the middle of  a crowd carrying placards and posters supporting the right to love, the right to just be your own person. She didn't know the girls personally for whom the rally was organised but she knew of them.

 Siv was one of the members of the  college swim team and Natalia, her partner, was doing her Masters in Political Science who had been making waves already with her blog supporting equal rights for the blanks and was the co-founder of a club for those  people whose soulmates/family were abusive. The word on the campus was that she herself had been abused as a child and met her soulmate when she was 12, when her father Roman had tried to sell her in exchange of a debt to a man with a predilection with prepubescent girls. Her words, ' _You are exquisite, I'll enjoy you.'_ had been followed by a bloody nose and a split lip as she had spit on him snarling, _'I'll die before I let you touch me.'_  Fortunately for her, her best friend Clint Barton had come to inquire after her as she had missed school that day(her deadbeat excuse of a father had not let her as he had important _clients_ coming), Barton had rung the bell several times and on receiving no answer had called 911. He was worried because he knew that Nat was not the type to miss school if she could help it and he had his suspicions about her father, he had seen the marks on her body which she tried to cover up using make-up but Clint was an archery prodigy boasting the nickname 'Hawkeye'. Thankfully, the police had shown up just in time to catch the people involved redhanded,  Natalia was later adopted by Clint's uncle Phil Coulson, with whom he lived after he was orphaned in an accident .

Darcy followed Nat's blog religiously and greatly admired the woman for standing up and raising her voice against the atrocities committed by people in the name of religion and so-called normality. Johnny Lewis was a man who had opened her eyes to world, to all the wonders and the putrid underbelly of mankind. He had been a gay man living in the 40s when they were blatantly persecuted for being unnatural. His soulmate had been killed in a police raid in a seedy bar which was largely attended by people of different sexual orientation. So Darcy knew what was what. She decided to take part in the protest rally. Nat and Siv had been kissing in a small park just outside the college campus when three men had come upon them and beat them up. Nat and Siv had tried to lodge a police complaint but they refused to do so citing that kissing in a park was tantamount to public indecency. Nat had returned to her flat, furious and wrote about the incident  on her blog. Her followers tweeted and shared the article through the internet causing an uproar in the LGBTQ community who then organised the rally. The rally was going on peacefully and would have ended in the same manner, had it not been for some assholes who made lewd and offensive comments. The crowd which was already simmering in rage did not take it well. A fight broke out between the two groups. Darcy rushed to help out her fallen comrade and for the second time in her life found herself in a police lock-up. That's how she met Clint and made friends with Clint, Nat and Siv. The cops had to let them go as the rally had got media attention causing public outrage.

__________________________________________________________________________________

_These are crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy nights._

_These are crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy nights._

Darcy was proud of herself. Tired and worn out, sure, but happy too. She had graduated with summa cum laude and had a job offer from SI's Legal department. She would be going back to New York in a few days. And what had made it sweeter was that Jane had gotten engaged to Dr. Bruce Banner, who as it turned out was _'Your idea has possibilities, I found it fascinating.'_  and would be moving to New York as well to collaborate with him on a project funded by Tony  fucking Stark.

Clint, Nat and Siv had decided to drop by to celebrate Jane's engagement and Darcy's graduation. They wanted to have a girls' night out on the town. Clint did not count as they were used to living in each other's pocket by then. Darcy had come clean of her somewhat shady past and that had brought them all closer as friends. She told them all about her dead mother, her absentee father, and her dear old uncle Johnny. They all seemed to love the retired conman.

Darcy decided to surprise Johnny and introduce her friends to her uncle. The group checked in at a hotel where Jane was to meet them in the evening to leave together for N-TRANCE , the strip club-slash-restobar run by Darcy's uncle.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_Sometimes days are so hard to survive_

_A million ways to bury you alive._

Loki had issues. With the universe. He was a hypochondriac with hemophobia, claustrophobia  and OCD which made his life very difficult. He had gotten in Columbia with a scholarship, sadly this did not better his situation rather exacerbated his problem. His roommate Thor was  huge messy, rowdy and a bloody menace who regularly got into fights at the slightest provocation. Loki felt crowded by his problems(of which Thor was but one) and stressed out all the time. Loki's scholarship depended upon maintaining a minimum GPA of 3.8, on top of that he also had to manage his  day-to-day living expenses. New York was expensive and he missed his mom who was living in New Jersey alone in their modest but beloved one-storeyed home, recovering from injuries due to a car accident caused by stroke. The money left by his biological parents had gone into providing home care and nursing services for his mother.  His constantly worrying nature also focused on his soulmark . Why would it be so morbid in nature? As had been previously stated, he had issues.

 When he was five years old, his parents had died in a car accident caused by carelessness. They were busy arguing when they should have been paying attention to the road. Loki was in the backseat, secured with a seatbelt which had helped save his life. His parents were soulmates who loved and lived with passion. Their fights were also loud and passionate. Loki's mother had been an exotic dancer who had come to New York to make her place in Broadway where Loki's dad worked as a stage manager. That night they were arguing about a wardrobe malfunction caused by  some misunderstanding. Lyra was insisting that it was a sabotage caused by another actress while Leif said it was a misunderstanding. They were so involved with themselves that they sometimes forgot the rest of the world. Doing so in a slick icy road while their son was in the car was probably not the best idea they had had. Unfortunately, they did not notice the lights of truck approaching their car. Loki cried, 'Watch out!'  and that was the last he saw or remembered. He came to in a hospital, orphaned.  He was entered into the foster system by the social services where he was shuffled from home to home. Loki had become a quiet, withdrawn boy, timid and insecure. He fit nowhere. Thus his life continued. When he was 10, his English teacher Frigga adopted him. She had lost her son and husband the previous year and saw the same loneliness in Loki's eyes that she felt. She took him home and they never looked back.

_________________________________________________________________________________

_The sun goes down like a bad bad dream_

_You're wound up tight, gotta let off steam._

_They say they can break you again and again,_

_if  life is a radio, turn up to ten._

Loki was running late for work, his assignment was due to be submitted in the next two days and he was running a mild temperature. His hypochondriac nature made him worry that he was coming down with something fatal but it was the very same condition that made him worry about the white coats. What if they did not believe him? No.  It was better to keep quiet and suffer in silence than be ridiculed for his worries.  Besides, he was late for work where he had just joined, he did not have time to go to the clinic.

Loki's  phobias made work in some places impossible. He could hardly join Starbucks with his OCD, working part-time in Stark Industries would see him in a tiny cubicle(he had nailed the interview but when he showed up for signing the contract, he was shown into his office which was like a 4 by 4 (apparently temps do not get  large airy spaces to work in), working in part-time retail also had the same problems. He was at his wits end, when he saw an ad on a gleaming  men's magazine. Thank you,Thor!

He had gone to the printed address and asked for work. Bartending and waitressing was out, the same with working as security. He was unqualified for kitchen work, overqualified for working in accounts. That left only one option. It was a good option. No one would touch him, it was in an open space and it would require him to do what he had always enjoyed. His inherent grace and mad skills which he had inherited from his mother was a bonus.

He just had to take his clothes off. And work the pole.

**********************************************************************************

_These are crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy nights._

_These are crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy nights._

_These are crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy nights._

_These are crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy nights._

 

Darcy and her group entered the club quietly, after flashing their respective IDs at the lone bouncer standing at N-TRANCE. She indicated her uncle with a tilt of her head and made a beeline towards him after asking the group to follow her. She felt several eyes on her and her friends. Darcy was unsurprised, her friends were all very good looking and she scrubbed up well herself when she took the time to. She knew that her biker-chick attire was also the reason for the stares. She figured that since she had to join SI Legal next month  where she would have to be dressed in formals, she should be able to dress as she liked in her free time especially in her own club.

Johnny had noticed people staring at a group in his periphery, he was always on guard. He had to be cautious since his old friends were the type to hold grudges for a long time. He suddenly found himself staring at a very familiar and beloved face.

He broke into a smile.

'Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.'

Darcy laughed out loud and said, 'There's no place like home.'

Johnny joined in and winked. 'Here's looking at you, kid!'

'Now introduce me to the beautiful people, darling.'

Darcy introduced Jane, Nat and Siv. Johnny kissed their knuckles saying 'Pleasure' as he did so. Then turned towards Clint, 'And who might be you, handsome?'  he said, giving him a once over.

Clint blinked and blushed a pretty shade of pink but recovered quickly, 'Clint Barton, sir. It's a genuine pleasure to meet you.'

'Oh! believe you me, the _pleasure_ is entirely mine.' John said with a lascivious smile.

'Oi, stop it you! You are making me nauseous. I don't want to see your old man flirting!' Darcy said with a smile, taking the sting out of her remark.

'Baby girl, I'm old not dead.'

Darcy's girlfriends were giggling at the exchange, Clint was smiling. 'When I grow up, I want to be just like you.' He said cheekily.

'Ooh, burn!' Darcy and Johnny said in unison.

'Now, what can I do for you lovely people?' Johnny asked.

Nat and Siv spoke up.' We would like a private booth with whatever is on tap and maybe a show? Darcy mentioned that it is a strip club.'  

'Certainly, my dears.' He led the group to the an area that said 'private' on the next level. He indicated a large, comfy looking couch. 'I'll send the waiter with your drinks. Mr. Skywalker will be in shortly. He is new but he is good at what he does.'

__________________________________________________________________________________

_And they try to tell us that we don't belong_

There was a raised platform a few feet away  marked off by iron chains. There was a pole and a chair on the platform, the pole carrying on to next level and could be accessed from there(it was actually continued till the first floor); the entire area was surrounded by dim lighting with a focus light which was currently switched on and faced towards the sofa.

They had just settled in when they heard a commotion. Darcy's mobile chimed with a new message, she had  got a text from her uncle saying,' Run as fast as you can, take your friends with you. There is a gun and a taser hidden under the sofa cushions. Be safe. Will see you later.'   

She relayed the message to her friends who started looking for the guns. Darcy had just found the butt of a gun, when they heard footsteps running upstairs. Darcy threw her taser towards Clint who was a good shot(having practised with Phil) and renewed her search for the gun.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_But that's alright, we're millions strong._

 

She was running towards the exit having found the gun in the back of the sofa when a gruff voice(who Darcy mentally labelled as Thug 1) spoke, 'Turn around slowly. Keep your hands where I can see them.'

They did as he asked. Nat asked, 'Please let us go, we have done nothing. What do you want with us?'

Thug 2 said, 'We want Darcy Lewis. Her uncle has ta pay for his betrayal. And his niece will be held fo ransom, as a guarantee so  he don't double cross us an go cryin' ta  da coppers 'gain. He sent two o' my brothers to the big house.'

Jane started muttering lowly, 'Is he lisping or is that how gangsters speak?'

Darcy snickered silently and stifled a snort. Clint said, 'I'm sorry sir. You are mistaken. There is no Darcy Lewis here. I am Clint, she is Natalia, my sister, Siv her partner, and the girls near the pole are Jacqueline and Jane. We were out celebrating an engagement. We don't even know the Lewises.'

Darcy took the chance to slip the gun in the waistband of her jeans. Thug 1 asked, 'That true?'

Siv nodded a yes.

'I don' b'lieve ya' remarked Thug 2. ' That egg said old John took his niece  here.'

' Enough chitchat! Get on the floor and you(to Thug 2) start counting to five,' Thug 1 ordered, sneering,' and if you don't tell me who Darcy Lewis in the next five seconds, I'll start counting off the bullets.'

'1...2...3' he cocked his gun.

'My good man, did you simply get carried away with your dramatic gesture or are you pointing your weapon at me with lethal intention?' Darcy stood up and said. Yeah, she was trying for some levity in a dire situation.

'What?'

'Christopher Waltz? Dr. King Schultz, the bounty hunter in Django unchained; ring any bells? No, I can see from your face that it doesn't. Dammit! Nobody gets that reference. Such a shame. It was a good movie too, won the Oscars and all.' Darcy said, shaking her head, as if disappointed. She had a tendency to babble when things did not go her way, though she also babbled when things did. Suffice to say that she had the habit of babbling in inopportune times and otherwise. So who could really tell.

'What are you chittering about, you idiot girl?' Thug 1 was getting frustrated and Thug 2 looked distracted and confused.

'I'm sayin' I'm Darcy Jacqueline 'Jaime' Lewis. Now. Say 'hello' to my little friend here.' She replied, taking out her gun from where she had hidden it.

Thug 2 stepped back.

'I see you got that reference.' Darcy smirked.

______________________________________________________________________

_You are my people, you are my crowd_

Loki had missed his stop and had to get off  at the next station. By the time he reached the block to N-TRANCE, he was already more than half an hour late. He checked his watch, the dial showed a glowing 9.25 pm. He hurried to the back entrance, climbed up the stairs to the first floor and got changed quickly into his costume. The club had decided to go with the Halloween theme. Today he was dressing up as his namesake, the trickster god. The costume was bulky and uncomfortable, but it was a piece of art, with all the leather and metal. Loki did have a bit of fetish, so he was biased. He put on his makeup to make his cheekbones more dramatic and put on the black wig that completely covered his strawberry blond hair. The show should have started at 9. It was now 9.37. 

As he started to climb down the pole that would take him to the private area, he thought he heard someone shouting but paid it no mind as there was always some kind of shouting going on at N-TRANCE.

He swung his hips around, fell into an graceful arc and finished off at a flourish that directly deposited him on the chair.

'OWWW! Fuckin' perfect.' He screamed.

_____________________________________________________________________

_this is our music, and we love it loud_

  9.37 pm.

'I see you got that reference.' Darcy smirked.

'You bitch, I'll fucking kill you.' Thug 1 yelled.

'Yeah, you could. But then you won't get a cent of the money.'

They were at an impasse. Thug 1 sneered, glaring at her. Darcy was holding her own, staring him down.

'I could do other things, make it more interesting, maybe shoot you in your kneecaps.'

'Ah! But see there are two of us,' pointing at Clint who was carefully holding the taser, pointing towards the goons. 'and your minion is high as a kite, he'd sooner shoot his own head off' she goaded. 'My sidekick is a total badass, won several competitions, he is expert at shoo...'

A swish of fabric, a swirl of green and gold was followed by an unexpected(or one could say expected but late) arrival. 

Thug 2 had been nervous from all the talk. He was new to the game, he had gone in to replace his brothers in the family business. He was now shifting his weight, bouncing on his feet lightly. He wanted to go home and sleep of the haze that came with being high. The sudden arrival startled him badly, his already shaking hands were getting twitchy, he had been pointing the gun at Darcy but his shaking fingers aligned the axis a bit to the left. So when he started and accidently pulled the trigger, the bullet didn't touch Darcy at all. It buzzed by her left ear towards Loki. Who screamed. Loudly.

Thug 2 was so surprised by this he didn't see Clint pointing a gun towards him. But he sure as hell felt the electricity coursing and converging on his belly. He dropped to the floor in an ungraceful heap and came undone.( Turns out he is a closet masochist. Who knew?!)

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Yeah, and nobody's gonna change me_

_'cause that's who I am._

Darcy was stunned stupid seeing all that. She rushed to Loki, and started fluttering her hands at him, looking pale and distraught.

_These are crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy nights._

 Loki blearily said, trying to be charming, 'Hey, that sounds like my luck.' He grimaced, 'S'Not your fault. I'll be fine.' He looked at his arm, it was bleeding, 'Oh God, I'm not fine. I'm gonna die, I'll die andohgodIamgoingtodie.' He started babbling, and hyperventilating.

Clint and Jane who had heard Loki, were staring wide-eyed at Darcy who was still in shock. Siv and Nat had caught on  too.

Thug 1 had had enough of the nonsense and now he was being ignored. He didn't like it. Not. One. Tiny. Bit. It made him angry and he lost his cool. He ran towards them with his gun yelling, 'I'll kill you!'  

Loki had started paling, repeating a litany of 'I'm going to die. I don't wanna die.'

Darcy came out of her stupor, stating firmly to Loki, 'We all die - but not today.'

Saying so, she pulled the trigger of the gun which was still in her hand and cleanly shot the weapon out of Thug 1's hand, grazing his fingers. Darcy was badass, even if she said so herself.

 Thug 1 howled in pain. Clint head butted him, then tackled him to the ground and sat on him.

 Jane called 911 who sent an officer from the 19th precinct.

_These are crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy nights._

_These are crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy nights._

Officer Rogers was a veritable Adonis. On arriving at the club, he found Clint at the door waiting with a groaning Thug 1 who the girls had hogtied with  some rope he found lying around in the dressing room. Thug 2 was still out. Steve took  in the scene and asked, _'Sir, are you ok?'_

Clint's eyes crinkled in a smile, _'Yeah, no biggie.'_  

'Wow! Mr. Arms is beautiful when he smiles.' Steve thought to himself.

Steve smiled in response, 'Hello, soulmate. Want to grab a beer together sometime?'

'I thought you'd never ask.'

__________________________________________________________________________________

_These are crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy nights._

_These are crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy nights._

Nat who had come down to report on Loki's condition, saw the scene and squealed in glee. She ran upstairs towards the dressing room where her partner and friends were talking.  Well, Siv and Jane were talking.

Darcy had dressed Loki's arm, who could no longer see the blood and therefore had recovered quite quickly. Loki was now thanking Darcy for saving him, to which she replied with an eloquent, 'Um...Duh!'

Nat had wanted to share the news about Clint with all of them. But she saw that Darcy and Loki were swapping spit happily while playing an enthusiastic game of tonsil hockey.

So she let them be and smiled instead.

 

_These are crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy nights._

...... _These are crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy nights._

 

_C'mon! Now, you are my people, you are my crowd._

_This is our fandom, so let's make it loud!_

__

                                                                             

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any recognisable characters. 
> 
> I researched a bit about the Westies and Jimmy C, and the fic deviates greatly from what happened in real life. The facts in the preface are true though, according to the internet at least. Any resemblance to real life incidents, persons is coincidental.  
> So DarcyxLoki, is my otp and it is a great feeling to write and give them life.The rest happened due to an old episode of Castle, my vivid imagination, and a 'what if Taser could be used in self-defense in NY legally' scenario. None of it is true, nor does it have any basis in reality.
> 
> Thank you for all the encouragement in the form of kudos,reviews,bookmarks and subscriptions. I'll try my best to not let you down.  
> This is unbetaed, and you have to tell me if I made any mistakes, grammar or continuity wise.  
> Please hit the kudos button if you like the fic, and the review button to tell me what you liked or hated in it.


	4. Nothing scares me anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the reader has to guess the pairing. Darcy/?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry folks for taking so long with the update. But my mum was admitted in a hospital due to sudden pain which was later diagnosed as pancreatitis, after she was released we went to another city for a second opinion.  
> She's almost recovered now, thank heavens. I came back on Monday with flu. I got very little time to write, hence the late chapter. Anyways.  
> Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizably Marvel, I'm told I can't be sued for this plot(which I claim as mine).  
> Clinozoisite said: If you're up to it, I'd love you forever for some Bucky/Darcy/Steve OT3. And, of course, any Darcy/Loki fics just make the internet immediately more awesome. If any Marvel characters are up for grabs, I'm also a big fan of Darcy/Johnny Storm. Because Darcy is the fandom bicycle and I ship her with ALL THE THINGS.
> 
> I decided to be generous. (Part 1 is here, look for part 2 in 2 days, part 3 in a few.)  
> Ask and ye shall (most probably) receive.   
> You can prompt me at justdessertsfortea.tumblr.com OR in the comment section.
> 
> Vendanges: Montmartre Wine Festival/ Fetes des vendanges de Montmarte. You can look it up on the internet. I'm terrible at hyperlinks.

                                           

**_Every love story........._ **

The subtle touch of vulnerability, the hint of loneliness, the expected inevitability, the mellow warmth, the ghosts of things long gone, the warring emotions, the playful façade and the old soul lurking behind shadows, above all the strength to dare destiny, the determination to see it through .....

They are said to be the windows of the soul....Was it his reflection or her essence?

She was not sure when it happened. It could have been when she first saw him, sipping  espresso on the sidewalk of the little auberge. Such casual grace, the stubborn tilt to his softly dimpled chin, the determined jaw set in counter to the somewhat defeated slump to his shoulders......

Her hands were itching. There he was, like  poetry in motion, like a glimpse of life captured in lonely desolation. Perfect yet flawed and that made him all the more breathtaking....

He seemed to have perceived her unabashed gawking because he looked up right at her. She smiled, hesitating, shy all of a sudden and was enchanted; for there was the beguiling smile she'd imagined, like the sun finally, _finally_ breaking over the clouds. She was intrigued.

The next few days, he was always there quietly reposing,  drinking the bittersweet delight, always on that bench. Was he waiting for someone? His beloved, perhaps.

Her hands flew on the rolls of  blank parchment making charcoal and ink sketches and at her small studio apartment, the canvasses were bursting with the colours of life.

They  never talked. Still it was as if they were having a private conversation, a silent communication. Maybe they were or maybe she's delusional. After feeling numb, empty for a long time, he made her feel again by just being there. She felt alive.

Then, one evening, he came up to her and nodded towards the sketches. They had been private, her secret. But he was the inspiration and the subject of so many; she could not have refused. She silently slid them across the table. He looked at each with loving reverence and regarded her for what seemed to be an eternity, and perhaps it was. She felt herself drowning in the twin pools of clouded jade and was captivated...

He sighed, quirked his lips in a slight upturn, smiling that smile, (it was only a sad facsimile though) and pressed a soft kiss on her brow, then walked away.

It felt like dying, it was being unmade, undone and being reborn. It was baptism by fire, by holy water, it was heaven and hell; all at once. That's when she knew.

Amidst the fall leaves, she fell unfettered. She felt free.

They could have been two ships that passed by at night, unknowing, unseeing. She never even asked his name, he never asked hers.

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Look at her now. Here she was, intrigued and intriguing still. Beautiful still. Still amazed. Still in awe. Breathing once more, living still. Loving again.

There were no nightmares anymore.

Hope. Encore.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**_............................has a (happy?) ending._ **

Darcy Lewis was born in a happy household. Her parents were childhood sweethearts and soulmates which led her to believe that her life would be as idyllic and happy as theirs. As a girl, she had the usual dreams of meeting her soulmate, living happily ever after, etc. She was as normal as any other except for one little detail. She had been born with a tattoo of an ouroboros and a soulmark. 

Her soulmark, 'If you insist, but at least let me buy you a dinner first.' certainly gave her hope that her soulmate would be courteous.

 Nothing could have prepared her for the reality of it.

Darcy had always been a smart girl. She had a keen intellect, and an unique perspective of looking at the big picture while not missing any details. Her love of life, of  different cultures; their art, history and politics was fulfilled when she went through the admission rules with a fine toothed comb and changed her major four times excelling in each of them before finally settling on political science. So she was astounded when she realised that she had to get six more science credits to graduate, she could earn those by either sitting through science classes or interning for a professor. She chose the latter, due to her aforementioned smarts( sitting in science classes again? Just no.) and wasn't that a game-changer.

Dr. Jane Foster's reputation was a storm in a teacup, she could be managed if you knew how. And Darcy who knew people, gained a lifelong friend in her. The events in Puente Antiguo made them closer, so it was natural that she followed Jane to Tromso and later London after her graduation. Darcy, previously an unpaid intern-turned-bff,  was now bff-cum-senior intern because with the new funds that Jane got from SHIELD, Darcy decided that Jane could afford a proper intern who could  Science!, sure she could do science-y things but not on Jane's level.

Cut to a few months later, with Erik losing his sanity along with his pants (which was like EW), Jane's foray into dating websites, okay, Darcy's foray into the wilderness of internet dating on behalf of Jane (she could not abide by Jane's mopey face any longer), Jane's actual foray in a space-time-dimension adventure **_and_** surprise, surprise Thor's second coming (hmm, the puns  that could be made if it was indeed the second instead of  the third time which they knew) was only a bit less miraculous than Jesus'. Next came a war of the worlds, only this time they were battling elves who were definitely not the handsome ones from Tolkien's world. After helping in the world saving efforts, and Darcy's 'Yay! You saved me.' kiss with her intern and later 'Thank fuck, we're alive' making out which progressed into actual fucking, and in the following months, Intern finally became Ian, her boyfriend-cum-intern. Thor had returned to earth on a more or less permanent basis, Jane was happy doing Science! and Thor, Erik was vindicated that his insanity was really a facet of his genius, and Darcy was busy with her work, Ian and post graduate studies. All was well.

But it was not to last. Everything was not as it appeared to be. HYDRA was in the SHIELD grass, deadly and waiting to strike. Thor was back in Asgard for some reason and there was only so much Darcy could do with her Taser, when Ian turned out to be a little snake, Ian who had been Darcy's first love and lover. She had thought they had a lot in common despite being from different fields and countries, it was heartbreaking to know that her SHIELD file had come with a psych eval which made Ian into Mr. Right if not her soulmate. It came as a heavy blow to Darcy as she came to know this at a time when she was wholly unprepared for it.

 She had been warming toasties and surfing her tumblr, when Jane of all people, came stumbling into the run looking disoriented and agitated. Tony Stark  had offered her a job for the umpteenth time,(Jane being Jane-like had refused) but this time he had included a warning to be careful and to keep her eyes on the news. Imagine Darcy's surprise when she found leaked files marked SHIELD on twitter. She had been in shock still, when Ian reported in. Jane was babbling about alphabet agencies being rotten to the core and something about returning to the States. Darcy agreed numbly asking Ian to book tickets for the flight. Ian being the rat bastard he really was, decided to try his hand at kidnapping and old-fashioned murder accidentally on-purpose  ala Hydra on the way to the airport. Kidnapping Jane & Erik, and killing Darcy of course. After all, one doesn't win the game of chess by hesitating to sacrifice the pawns, especially when the pawn was on the opposing side. The ensuing scuffle would not have taken place if Darcy had been in any state to drink her coffee(thank Thor), but she was still in shock and busy perusing the leaked files. Sadly for him, Jane got a call from Maria Hill, former Deputy Director of SHIELD informing her of a Hydra agent masquerading as an intern which brought Ian's carefully built house of cards crashing down. This resulted in Ian trying to kill all of them, ditching his former plan. He didn't account for the Erik's insane genius turning on him or Darcy's taser, which was by then, her natural and instinctive response to every fight or flight question.

Fortune does indeed favour the brave, for Darcy's taser hit him as he was trying to shoot her while driving the car. Un _fortunate_ ly sometimes bravery is the kindest name for stupidity. Erik had hit Ian on the head  with a machine thingy at the same time the taser's prongs hit him, Ian lost control of the car causing it to be a spectacular wrap around a tree. Ian was the only casualty, but the others also had suffered from serious injuries. Darcy had fractured her humerus which , incidentally, was called the Holstein-Lewis fracture, and one would find it funny if he/she possessed a morbid sense of humour. Jane  had gotten  lucky and escaped with a concussion and Erik had a minor head wound and a boxer's fracture to show for it. Darcy had to stay in medical care for a month, she had to go through physical therapy and therapy for her PTSD. She was also suffering from a severe case of depression. So when she was finally released from the hospital, she decided to realise an old dream, because whatever else she was, she was a survivor. She would survive this too.

 Off she went to France.

It was during the _Vendanges_ in Montmartre when she found her muse and learned to live again.

**************************************************************************************************************

She went back home where she joined Stark Industries as the liaison and PR manager to the Avengers Initiative, which meant keeping peace between the governments and the Avengers, promoting goodwill in the public for them and on occasion, superhero wrangling. It was mediating between the various superhero groups that was currently  her problem and caused the incident. Namely Tony and Dr. Richards who were showing startling similarities to a couple of rabid dogs.

 Jane had refused to talk to Richards as he had, in his apparently infinite wisdom, disregarded Jane's theories and dismissed her work as a scientist as the delusions of a crackpot, semi-publically. Semi-publically, because it was a review in one of the obscure scientific journals meant for genius scientists (of which there were few in the field of astrophysics). Erik had taken umbrage on behalf of Jane. Bruce was away on a seminar. Hence the only Avenging member of the brain trust was Tony who had his own problems with Reed Richards. Captain America was supposed to mediate between the two teams but as soon as contingency plans were tentatively drawn, and the talk started veering towards Science! Steve's eyes glazed over, once the loud arguments started Steve excused himself saying that he would be back with coffee and back-up (his SHIELD in case the argument turned into explosions).

Darcy who was working in her office, was asked to intervene by JARVIS as he feared that one of them was in danger of 'death by ego.' Or so _she_ had paraphrased mentally.

Well. JARVIS had said, 'Miss Lewis, I believe explosions resulting in serious injuries if not fatalities may be imminent as neither Sir nor Dr. Richards are in agreement regarding the hypotheses they were, ahem, discussing.' He delivered in his sharp smooth British accent, 'Perhaps you would like to look into it.'

Given that JARVIS was predisposed or programmed to protect Tony, chances were that it would be Richards doing the exploding and possibly dying part, resulting in a PR nightmare. 'Yay' she thought gloomily, 'More work.' So her attitude had hardened a bit. Whatever. Dr. Reed Richards was a grade A-asshole who deserved it, his blatant misogyny and snobbish attitude towards those he deemed inferior should have been a lesson 'what not to do:101'

(Lesson number one: just because someone has been blessed with unquestionably superior boobage does not make the person dumb. Lesson number two: Every woman he meets with the marvellous features mentioned is not a secretary who's there to make you a cuppa joe. Lesson number three: don't try to bully people by being condescending. Don't give them attitude, they have their own)

How someone as perfect as Sue Storm could tolerate him enough to marry him was a question people (Darcy) often wondered. 'Maybe she was like the yin to his horrendously extreme yang?' she wondered.

Darcy sighed.

'I'm on it, Jay.' she replied. 'Where's  the Captain, beeteedubs?'

'Capt. Rogers has gone to fetch coffee.' He replied archly.

'You mean, he fled from the fear of Science?' Darcy smirked.

'Indeed.' He responded.

 

JARVIS and Darcy had bonded over their mutual crush on the Captain. Often joking about Rogers and the various forms of puns the name allowed, sighing dreamily(Darcy), collecting pictures on the internet of the Captain's heavenly arse(Darcy and Jarvis), announcing his arrival by playing 'Shake your pom-pom' by Missy Elliot(JARVIS).

Jarvis opened the lifts for her to go to the 77th floor where the brain trust ruled. Darcy quickened her pace and reached the conference room just in time to collide with someone coming from the other direction. That someone had superstrength, it seemed, for she bounced  hard off of his chest and was about to meet and greet the floor, only to be stopped midway by a steel band across her waist.

'Oh! fuck me.' She moaned in pain, touching her  aching boobs.

'If you insist,' he chuckled throatily, 'but at least let me buy you dinner first.'

'Miss Lewis, are you alright?' came a worried voice.

'Wait a minute, I know that voice.' Darcy thought. Her eyes flew open and she looked up to see a familiar face, but a different kind of smile.

'Ma'am, are you hurt?' the voice was heard again, this time from her left. She turned her head to see Steve Rogers with a tray full of coffee.

 

Wait, what?

 

Darcy turned her head almost faster than Quicksilver. She got whiplash, so yeah.

 

'Hey Jay?' She croaked, 'Didja somehow clone Captain America?'

'I'm sorry, Miss Lewis. Sadly, I've not.' JARVIS almost laughed in response.

 

'I think  maybe you should let the lady up.' Steve said.

'Maybe I like this position.' Not-Clone replied.

Darcy started to squirm and tried to stand, the steel band turned out to be an arm which was retracted when she started moving.

'Miss Lewis?'

'I'm pretty sure you can call me Darcy, Captain, seeing how I embarrassed myself in front of you.'

Steve smiled and shrugged in response.

 

'Uh...' Not-Clone cut in, 'Hello, soulmate.'

Darcy's eyes widened in response. 'Hello Not-Steve?!'

'Johnny Storm .' He grinned in reply.

'Darcy Lewis.' She said 'Um.. may I ask a question?'

He leered exaggeratedly, 'For you darling, anything.'

'Do you light up for me?' She smiled impishly.

  _'Honey, I'm on fire. I feel it everywhere.'_  He crooned and smirked.

 Darcy smiled, happy.

 

' ** _Nothing scares me anymore.'_**


	5. Love the way it hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there might be some human failings, some magic, an end and a beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that this is so late, keep watch at the end for a compensation (It's christmas.)  
> This is part 2 of Clinozoisite's prompt, the story can be read as a continuation of Part 1 but it can also be read alone. Part 3 will be up later tonight, fingers crossed. 
> 
> There maybe some dubious consent(sex under the influence of drugs and booze), alcohol abuse, implied cheating. Ergo, caveat lector.
> 
> Un-betaed as is my norm, as I didn't want anyone else to go through the thankless labour of correcting/editing my errors. Hope you enjoy it, warts and all. Please point out any mistakes I may have made or if you want me to clarify something,shoot me a line. Read and Review.  
> Happy Holidays!

[Leave your prompts here](justdessertsfortea.tumblr.com) , I'll try my damndest to do my best.

                                         

                                                                                                ** _Love the way it hurts_**

 

 

Darcy was a very happy child growing up. She had been surrounded by two sets of grandparents who doted on their only grandchild, her parents had had the kind of love story that films were made of. You know the whole - boy meets girl on the first day of high school, boy turns out to be girl's soulmate, they become friends, then they date, then they fall in love. They marry, and then......

Happily Ever After.

Darcy wanted that fairytale, but she wanted the reality too. Like her parents, she wanted her love to be real. They had their highs and lows, they fought and teased, they laughed and cried, they had their differences but it was what made them complete.

When you see a love like that, you dream that you'll have that someday. Darcy was the same as any other teenager. Having a crush on the handsome lead from the reigning pop band, hoping that the  cute boy from AP Chem class who smiled at you in the cafeteria line would turn out to be your soulmate.

(He isn't; but Darcy lets him steal a kiss or two anyway. What? He's dreamy,okay! He has good hair and kind eyes and a nice smile. Hormones and all.)

 They go out for a month. He meets his soulmate when they go out for movies, selling popcorn at the kiosk. ' _We have caramel, cheese, and butter; what would you like?'_  Darcy had laughed when she had first seen his soulmark, she'd said, 'Looks like your kinda girl, Miles.'

She does not feel like laughing when she witnesses her kinda sorta boyfriend, meeting his soulmate. Miles is yet to reply, so she says to the girl,'Hi. I'm Darcy, he is Miles. He's your soulmate. I think he is in shock , come to think of it, I maybe in shock too. I'll take one large of each, thanks.'

Once Miles overcomes his surprise at the stunning revelation, he opens his mouth, _'Um....What she said.'_ They just click, just like that. That night, when she sheds tears over what might have been, the small of her back where she has the grey birthmark that looks startlingly similar to a ouroboros tattoo twinges. Darcy vows to wait for _'If you insist, but at least let me buy you dinner first.'_

 _(_ Dreams don't cost, but sometimes they do hurt. _)_

She spends the rest of her high school readying herself for college. She breezes through college, doing well in her studies, friendzoning every guy that she meets or who show an interest in her. She wants to wait for Mr. Right, not wanting to try her chances with Mr. Right Now(of which there could have been many).

Her normal life becomes a thing of the past when she meets Jane,it only becomes more bizarre when she meets Thor and comes under SHIELD's radar. But she's good in rolling with the punches. She follows Jane to London, where she helps save the world and meets Ian, the intern who she falls in love with. For the first time since high school, she decides to take a chance on Mr. Right Now; and she is betrayed, Ian turns out to be a Hydra mole, keeping tabs on them with orders to kidnap Jane and Erik and dispose off of Darcy. When things come to a head, Ian gets killed. Jane and Erik have a narrow escape, Darcy has to stay in medical care for more than a month and has to see a therapist for her harrowing experience.

Her depression lifts bit by bit when she goes to Paris. At the Montmartre Wine Festival, where she meets her muse and learns to hope again. Learns to love again, learns to live again.

( Darcy had been mesmerised by him, he had an otherworldly grace and a sad beauty about him. Oh he was beautiful, heartbreakingly so. But it had been his eyes, glistening pools of clouded jade and that smile, it was almost like he had forgotten how to or he was unaccustomed to smiling so freely; for all that it was guileless, it bewitched.

They had never exchanged any words, but it felt like they had no need of words. When he had pressed a soft kiss on her brow, it felt like benediction, like absolution, like heaven, like hell. She had been so overwhelmed that she did not pay any attention to the tingling sensation on the small of her back.)

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the  SHIELDRA incident, Darcy moves to New York, looking for a new start. She is very excited about the whole thing, she starts thinking maybe now she would get a chance of realising her dream of making a difference.

In a tiny little corner of her mind, she  hopes to meet her soulmate. (When she sleeps, she dreams of jade eyes.)

 

Chance is a fine thing.

The day she meets the Captain who she has a crush on, is the day she also meets a person who bears a striking resemblance to him who turns out to be her soulmate, Johnny Storm. A.k.a the Human Torch.

Darcy had been rushing to mediate an argument between Tony Stark and Dr. Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four, when she collided with Johnny.

'Oh! Fuck me.' she moaned, touching her aching boobs. 'Ow!'

'If you insist,' her rescuer smirks, 'but at least let me buy you dinner first.'

 After the initial introductions were made, Johnny, Darcy and Steve went to meet the arguing scientists and they were told the news. Tony had been horrified, he had also bet on Steve being the one for Darcy as he thought he was the only one good enough for Darcy, who he regarded as his kid sister. He did not know how to feel about Johnny who had a reputation of being a playboy, if you used kind words, and a manwhore if you did not. Granted he was being bit of a hypocrite, but he had turned over a new leaf when he realised that Pepper was his soulmate. Ok. So maybe there was hope for Johnny too. He replied, 'Congrats Dee. I'm happy for you.' 

 He then turned to Storm, 'Take care Flambé, don't make me sic Pepper on you. Alright?'

 Mr. Fantastic, however, had to be his usual fantastical ass self. He said to them both, 'I see. Congratulations.' And then added,' I imagine Sue will be glad to hear the news. Though I think even you could do better than a secretary, Johnny. '

Steve kept quiet, he had not missed the tone nor the meaning but he did not want to interfere in what was to him a private matter. He decided to intervene if things escalated.

Johnny began to grow hot and started breathing harshly.

Tony began, 'Now, listen here...'

Darcy spoke up,' Tony. You know I am a grown ass woman. Johnny. Ditto. I don't need you to fight my battles for me. I can take care of myself. Even against people who should know better than to be their douchey self in polite company.'

Richards started, 'Why you..

'No, you listen carefully. I don't  want to have to be repeating myself. Some say you're a genius, on Tony's level even maybe. So try to understand, okay?' she said. 'Firstly, yes I'm a woman with endowed with a largesse of boobs and mouth. That does _Not_ make me dumb or inferior. No, I'm not a secretary. No offence meant to secretaries, of course. What I am, is the PR manager of the Avengers and HOD of Media Relations, SI. Am I educated? Why yes, I have two doctorates. Am I a scientist? No, I am not into science but I interned under Dr. Jane Foster. Yes, that Jane Foster, of Foster Theory and viable Einstein-Rosen bridges, who is currently working on building a second Bifrost. Speaking of Bifrost, you may've heard of Thor, the Asgardian Avenger, regarded by most as the God of Thunder? He calls me his Lightning Sister, do you know why? I think not, as it is classified information, known only to a trusted few. Above your level. But I'll tell you anyway, for your general knowledge. I took him down. Tased him. Here, see this?' She added,indicating a handheld Taser ' This is the Stark modified version, packs 10k volts. Groovy,huh? Also, very dangerous. I wonder if Sue wants children... Hmm.' The other men winced, in sympathy. Richards had gone pale.

Darcy continued, 'You must know some anatomy, right? Seeing how your body is all rubbery sorta. I've been training with Nat. I'm her favourite. I know how to fracture your bones so you can't get up. My favourite is the Holstein-Lewis fracture, I have a sentimental connection to that name. You see Gwylim Lewis was my great grandfather. I know what causes it, its effects, how to cause it. Ironically, I myself have had to suffer the same when a Hydra mole, posing as an intern attacked us. I killed him. The gendarmarie declared it an accident. I, however, am not so sure.'

She took a deep breath, 'Let this be the first and last warning. You do not mess with me, what's more- you will not disrespect any other woman, any person who you deem inferior, you will act like a proper human being should. And no, your heroics though no doubt flashy and helpful, do not count. You will leave your attitude behind at Baxter building. Am I understood? Yes?Good.'

'Miss Lewis, I'm sorry.' Richards stuttered out an apology.

'That's Dr. Lewis to you. Spelled D-O-... on second thoughts. I'll do you one better.' She clicked her pen, which had a minitaser built in, courtesy of Tony, and shot Dr. Richards. 'So that the lesson sticks.' She smirked,'Oh, and next time when you want coffee say 'Please' and when someone brings you your coffee say ' Thank you', won't you? Those are the magic words. Please do remember.'  She said with a cool demeanour and a tight-lipped smile.

'See you around, gentlemen.' She exited the room. Johnny followed her out.

Tony said,'Well...'

'I barely know anything about today's world, and even I know better.' Steve added. He mused, 'Damn! What a dame. Bucky'd have loved her.' 

Johnny ran after Darcy, 'Wait!'

She nodded, 'Johnny.' He stood silently gaping,'Ah..

 She turned, arched an eyebrow  'Something to add?' cocking her hip out.

'Knock me down and fuck me sideways!' he breathed out in a rush.

'Well, sure. But at least let me buy you dinner first.' She winked and replied.

Johnny grinned. 'Let's get going then.'

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Johnny and Darcy had a whirlwind romance. Theirs was a grand passion. No less real than her parents but volatile, tempestuous. They had loud fights and louder make-up sex. If Johnny forgot dates, he made it up with grand gestures. When Darcy was at fault, she'd act so pathetically guilty and sad that it was easy to forget it and move on.

When Darcy started to make a name for herself, Johnny was worried. He thought about his enemies coming after her, he thought he'd somehow mess this relationship up and hurt Darcy. The media twisted public opinion as it suited them, they were either reviled or made into some kind of star-crossed sweethearts. Johnny who had his fair share of the same experience did not want this for Darcy.  At first, he tried to break up with her giving these reasons which to her looked completely ridiculous. She persisted till Johnny reconsidered his opinions.

Things were good. It was great. Neither of them had felt the content that came with being with the one they really loved. But they still had their insecurities, their fears.

So when  Doom kidnapped Darcy, and asked for his soulmate Susan Storm (Sue had a different set of words before she became the Invisible Woman, the radiation took away the words and somehow changed her)in exchange as an offer, it was like the butterfly effect.

_Chaos was in play now._

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

And so it was, _the beginning of the end._

Johnny and Darcy had a major blow-up which led to some pretty harsh words uttered by both sides. Johnny said that Darcy was a distraction which he could not afford in his line of work and caring for her was full-time job. This angered Darcy very much who retorted he was better off alone then and asked him to come back when he stopped being an idiot and an ass, and stormed off in a huff from the Baxter Building where she had been living with Johnny.

 The next morning, Steve who had become Darcy's confidante and new best friend came by to take Darcy's things with him. Darcy had gone to his house in Brooklyn because if Tony or Thor knew what happened between Johnny and her, they would probably try to hurt him.

Johnny had always felt jealous of Steve, Darcy had told him in the early days of their relationship that she had had a crush on Captain America. So when they became friends, the feeling of inadequacy and envy grew. He felt inferior to Steve, after who would want Johnny Storm when they could have Captain America, right? Why settle for the clone, when you could have the original? Deep down, he felt that he didn't deserve Darcy.

Thus began the downward spiral.

When Steve came over to retrieve Darcy's things, he also had to offer some pearls of wisdom, 'Darcy has been crying, I gather that you two had a fight. I suggest you talk it out and solve whatever problem you are having. She is my friend and she deserves to be happy after all she's been through.' The little embers of jealousy ignited into a flame, it was exacerbated by the knowledge that Steve harboured more than friendly feelings for Darcy and they could have been happy together if not for the fact that Steve had a soulmate and was too noble to poach another's.

Johnny felt that he was not good enough. He couldn't deal with this feelings, neither could he deal  with the odds of disappointing her. He wanted to distance himself from Darcy. He knew himself, he knew relationships, and human nature and all of that shit. He feared that somewhere down the line , one or both of them would be fucked over because of his screw ups. He couldn't risk it, he could not risk her happiness.

 

Johnny, alone and hurt and angry at himself, was drinking himself into a stupor. All that booze gradually led into a drug induced haze. His mind kept him supplying memories of Darcy laughing, making love with a man that looked like him. Problem was, he could not tell whether it was him or Steve, his mind had blurred the edges of memory. So he shot up some more, drank some more and proceeded to make his life a mess.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Darcy was counselled by Steve to talk things through with Johnny. He was attracted to Darcy but she was his friend first and foremost and he could not bear her living like a zombie who put on a mask when dealing with others only for cracks to appear when she thought no one was looking. He was the same about Bucky, who was still so torn up about his time as the Soldier, whose life as  Bucky Barnes was like faded memories, like looking through a foggy mirror. He couldn't connect to this reality and as a result had refused to consider Steve as a soulmate.  Steve knew how it felt, so he encouraged Darcy to call Johnny.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Johnny's flat at the Baxter Building was empty. He had wanted to be away from the things that reminded him of Darcy, so he went to his bachelor pad where he used to live when he was only Johnny Storm.

His days were passing in a daze without any indication of when they began or when they ended. His daily cocktail of drugs and alcohol were keeping him floating. He woke up on the 10th day with a massive hangover, he briefly contemplated calling Darcy but soon chucked the idea when he remembered that she had decided to go. 'And really wasn't it for the best?' his conscience prompted. He was no good for Darcy. He tossed his phone into a drawer of his closet and tried to forget about it.

He decided to cure his hangover by drinking some more, but he had run out so he went off to the bodega.

_6 missed calls from Darcy._

There he came across an old _acquaintance_ of his, a down on her luck photographer looking for a rig.

_I miss you, are you okay? Call me. Love, Darcy x_

Johnny was inebriated, the booze made unloading his problems on her seem like a good idea. All his frustrations, his problems, his suspicions were now out in front of the woman.

_We should really talk. Let's have dinner. Meet me at our usual place at 4._

Johnny was busy feasting on the redhead currently lying on the shag carpet on the bedroom floor.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darcy waited for 2 hours at their regular Italian joint but Johnny was a no show. She went home and decided to try texting again.

_Please just call or text me and let me know if you're okay. Love- Dee x_

Johnny was busy sleeping off the post sex exhaustion. Layla was busy emailing  the video to her boss. It'd be the break she needed to give her career a boost. She decided to send the _interview_ and kept the _extra-curricular activity_ as a leverage.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darcy had been surfing the internet at work to keep up with any new happenings or news that crop up and need Avenging or managing. So she was shocked when she read some byline of a shocking and sensational interview by the Human Torch in a gossip rag. The webzine's hits were sky high where the video interview was posted. As soon as she saw Johnny's state, she got her purse and cellphone and was off.

Soon she reached his  apartment and was knocking on the door furiously. Johnny opened his door to see Darcy who took in his dishevelled and drunk state, 'I'd been kinda hoping that you were lying in a ditch somewhere or hit by a bus...or something.'

He started to speak, 'Dar...' but he was interrupted, 'Johnny darling, who's at the door? Come back to bed, I'm feeling bored.'

'Oh I see.' Darcy whispered,' You decided that you _really_ are better off alone. Or at least better without me I guess.'

'Darcy, wait.'

'No, I'm done waiting. I deserve better. Better than I got, better than you. Maybe I'm better off alone too. Goodbye.' She walked away.

Johnny crumpled in on himself watching her leave, the goodbye sounded like a death knoll to him.

It's true what they say.

  _You destroy the best the thing that you love the most._

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Avengers and co. were supportive and commiserated with Darcy. They wanted to dismember Johnny but knew that doing so would hurt Darcy as she still cared for him. One can't get over one's soulmate that easily. Pepper was just relieved that Thor was in Asgard dealing with some princely duties or the consequences for Johnny's actions would have been dire. His honour as an oathsworn brother would have demanded it. As it was, Steve had to restrain Tony from seriously maiming him when they were battling Doombots together. Natasha  had paid Storm a visit , but was keeping quiet now as she could understand where he was coming from. She sometimes felt the same way about Clint, she had too much red in her ledger. She decided it was Darcy's choice to give him another chance and Johnny's to reach out to her. She was not going to meddle, because for all of Johnny's faults, he was right. He _had_ hurt Darcy. He was not _good enough._

_And sometimes love is not enough._

Darcy was recovering, coming back to herself but it was a slow progress. 'You are a survivor, you won't lose yourself from a heartbreak. You have to live. You're a survivor.' Every night she would repeat this mantra in her mind. Every night she would cry herself to sleep, every night she would dream of those eyes.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thor had been summoned to Asgard for two reasons. As the crown prince, it was his duty to marry and take over the responsibilities from the king. Odin had  not been pleased that Thor's intended was a human mortal, but he could not interfere as a king because they were soulmates. Jane was busy sciencing and had not been ready for marriage, or for the subject to be broached. Therefore Thor had to name an heir, in case of emergencies like the last time or the time before that. The line of succession had fallen to Loki with Thor banished and Odin in Odinsleep, the Warriors Three and the Lady Sif had still not recognised him as the king and as a result their actions against Loki amounted to treason. After the battle with the Dark Elves, Odin was once again in a healing sleep, Thor had wanted to go back to Jane and Loki had acted in Odin's stead, wearing Odin's face. The subterfuge would not have been necessary had he not been imprisoned, or if he was recognised and accepted as the king. Hence Thor and Odin had to declare Loki the heir officially.

Now that that had been done, Thor wanted to ask Jane for her hand formally. He was going back to Midgard, this time accompanied by his brother. Odin had reduced Loki's sentence as he had finally taken the time to learn that whatever Loki had done there was due to his imbalanced mental state, from his time in the Void. Thanos had found it easy to bend his mind to his liking with the winning combination of suggestion and torture. So while Loki had been aware of his vile actions he had done so on duress. By the order of Odin Allfather, he was to make amends and redeem himself on Midgard.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jane and the others were on the Bifrost site to study the energy readings( Jane and the Science Bros), welcome Thor back to earth(Jane, Steve,Tony and Pepper), act as protection( Bruce and the Spysassins Three), sic Thor on Johnny( Tony because telling Pepper had not worked as he hoped, there were no _explosions._ ) Sam just wanted to see the bridge work its magic.

An enormous tornado, suffused with a rainbow like light touched the earth. When the light cleared, two tall figures, one heavyset and fair-haired and the other lean and dark, seem to emerge from it.

Instantly everyone carrying a weapon pointed theirs towards the latter.

'Explain yourself, Thor.' Steve demanded.

'What is _he_ doing here?' Clint sneered, explosive arrow pointed at Loki's eye, notched and ready to be fired.

'Fear not, my friends.' Thor exclaimed. He then explained the events to everyone present, adding, 'The Allfather has decreed that Loki make restitution to this realm, and help us in protecting it. He'll not harm us.'

Tony noticed that Loki had kept his head down, eyes fixed on the ground and had not uttered a single word through Thor's speech. 'Alright, Reindeer Games.      Let's blow this popsicle stand. But first we'll have to do something about your clothes. You will be recognised within a few moments of entering the city.'

'Will this suffice?' Loki asked exchanging his armour for an illusion of a copy of Tony's suit, adding a grey and green scarf with a flick of his hand.

'Wow. Uh...yeah.' Tony was still a bit jumpy around Loki and his casual display of magic but he hid it well enough to say,' You want me to trust you, you let me study your magic. Do we have a deal?'

The others were waiting with expressions of surprise, dismay, horror, and excitement.  Only Bucky seemed to be totally blank, even Natasha couldn't stop herself from widening her eyes for a nanosecond. She considered the idea, on one hand they could gain a new way of fighting the good fight, on the other if Loki was allowed to do magic who knows what he would do. She tilted her head directly towards Loki, wanting to hear his response.

'Very well, I agree.' he said after a moment. Loki thought to himself, 'It's not as if I could refuse, the Allfather has deemed that I do whatever they want me to.' 'Besides,' he mused, 'maybe I could finally someone who likes my magic for a change. Mother would have been happy.'

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darcy had a long day at work, it was Bucky's first outing as a team member in public. Public reaction was still a bit iffy for her tastes, with factions divided in their views about what should be done with him. While one was crying for blood, others were asking for acquittal from crimes committed while being what technically was POW, some wanted to give him the Medal of Honour, and some wanted to study his altered physiology and the metal arm. This meant that the tower got daily mails from people which were either bouquets or brickbats. On one memorable occasion some crazy fan had sent him edible underwear. 'Ah,' Darcy said to her herself, 'happy times!' recalling Steve's face when he saw those. Bucky's had remained suspiciously bland.

Today, however, one of the crazies had spotted him and tweeted about it, which sent the media into a frenzy and now the paparazzi were camped around the tower. Thank Thor, she had moved out of Steve's brownstone. The furore after Johnny's drunken confession, oops 'interview' had not died down completely. And public opinion was teetering on labels ('homewrecker', supposedly coming between Bucky and Steve, 'slut' (sleeping with Steve and leaving Johnny, because of course with a figure as voluptuous as hers Darcy could not be simply Steve's friend), 'ditzy' (same reasons as above), poor little lost girl(for believing she was good enough for her superhero soulmate)  etc depending on the day.  Now that she was done with her working lunch with Phil Coulson (which had run late), the newly minted director of SHIELD, she had to head back to the Tower while avoiding the vultures perched outside. 'Damn' she muttered, 'I'm  not going to be present there to welcome Thor when he arrives.' 

When she finally arrived home from her office, Thor and Jane were busy canoodling. Tony was working in his lab with Pepper heading to Malibu for a meeting, Steve was  trying calm Bucky down, Bruce was practising his meditation; Clint and Nat were working off their frustration at the world in the gym. Loki was sitting in Thor's apartment, quietly contemplating his circumstances.

Seeing the common area without any of its regular occupants, Darcy decided to make herself a sandwich from the previous night's chicken roast and catch up on her missed episodes of Doctor Who. She nodded off on the sofa just as the Doctor and Clara crash landed on the moon, too tired to get up and move herself to her bed.

Steve came back from his morning run with Sam who was regaling him with tales of his date last night to find Darcy sprawled on the sofa, her right arm bent over her forehead covering her eyes in a subconscious bid to keep away the growing sunlight and left foot dangling over the sofa arm. He started cooking a traditional Irish breakfast for Bucky and Darcy, as he had spied leftover cold cooked potato (forgoing the black pudding as even he didn't have the stomach for it), and put on the coffee machine. Just as he finished plating up the rashers and eggs, Darcy blinked awake.

Steve was feeling very cheerful as he had finally gotten a kiss from Bucky, granted he thought it was Bucky showing his gratitude, still... a kiss was a kiss and he wanted to share the news with Darcy. Sam had gone off to shower after eating. The best friends were sipping their coffees and savouring their food, talking quietly.

Thor had woken up to find Loki coming out from the bathroom in his clothes which Loki had magically altered and Jane missing(on enquiring her whereabouts Jarvis answered that Jane had been called to the labs early in the morning). Thor freshened up and asked Loki to accompany him to breakfast.

Meanwhile, Tony had finished his latest science bender and was going to the communal kitchen for coffee when he saw Jane chewing out some the new lab assistant  for making an obvious mistake. The poor lad looked as if he was going piss himself in fear. Tony interrupted Jane mid-tirade not wanting him to soil the pristine lab, 'Not had your coffee yet? Let's go. You can tell Uncle Tony all about your problems while we walk.' he finished with a suggestive remark, 'What happened? Hammer fail in properly nailing?' and a wink.

'Ew! Tony please do not ever mention Uncle Tony and Hammer in the same breath. Ever.' She crinkled her nose in apparent disgust.

They reached the communal floor as the same time as the brothers.

'My lady Jane, I missed you this morn. Everything is well?' Thor boomed.

'Yes, I'm sorry. The new assistant can't handle a simple vector calculation. I mean...' Jane ranted. Thor seemed to listen carefully and nod at the right times, making small noises of acknowledgement and agreement where necessary even though his eyes were glazed over as they often did when Jane went into deep Science mode.

'C'mon Lokester, let's leave this two alone.' Tony smirked.

Loki nodded his agreement in response. He was thinking over Jane's speech and was busy going over the magic and equations needed to build a working model of the bifrost(which was one of his assigned tasks. He was so deep in his thoughts, he missed Stark's, 'And this is Darcy, nanny, spin doctor, femme fatale.'

'Hey!' Darcy cried in outrage.

'Well, he's not wrong. Tony _is_ a toddler. ' Steve cut in dryly.

'I can't that refute that.' Darcy said with a sly smile.

'Alright, alright. Enough.' Tony said annoyed and amused at the same time. 'Meet our new guest.'

Darcy was sitting angled in a such a way that she could only see Loki's profile.

'Greetings, my lady.' Loki turned, his mouth open in an O of astonishment.

'Look at these cheekbones,' she thought in an extremely sultry manner, emulating Irene Adler 'I could cut myself slapping that face.' Unfortunately, her brain-to-mouth filter had stopped working and she had it said it to Loki loudly. She turned red,'Um...Hi.'

She had just started saying sorry when Loki started screaming silently, eyes opened wide in pain.

'Sorry...I.. uh what are -are you alright?' she asked, horrified at the look of terror in those lovely .......jade eyes. She remembered those eyes on a different face. She reached out and touched a hand to his when he did not answer.

 Darcy gasped in surprise at the sudden burning sensation on the small of her back that had her blinking back tears.

Tony and Steve were at a loss, they did not know what to do. But as Darcy started yelling in pain, Thor and Jane who had been outside the room making eyes at each other  rushed into see what the sudden commotion was about.

'Darcy!' Jane cried, as she started to claw at her back, almost tearing her shirt off.

Loki was gaping at his hand in bewilderment. His hand, which now sported a magical tattoo of a tree. Thor was grinning broadly, 'My congratulations, brother.'

Steve voiced what was going on in Loki's mind. 'Thor, care to explain?'

'I'll explain in a moment.' He said to Jane, 'Would you lift Darcy's shirt, please?'

 Tony was staring at Loki's tattoo in awe. He took notice at this. 'Say what now?'

'What do you mean, Thor?' Jane said in exasperation.

'Please Jane. Just pull it off her back.'

Now everyone gathered was paying attention, Loki whose hand did not burn anymore was carefully examining his tattoo.

He saw that Darcy's words ( written in a script so tiny that it was incomprehensible by the naked human eye) were running throughout the tattoo. His heart beat as if it was trying to fly off and soar high into the sky. Dare he hope?

Darcy had stopped screaming in pain and was now trying to rip open her shirt. She had heard of this happening when soulmates died and the soulmark disappeared. As much as Johnny had hurt her, she did not want that. She thanked God that his loopy handwriting which had been in bright blue had turned grey and not faded altogether. She sighed in relief. She was brought out of her musings by Jane's soft exclamation.

'It is as I had thought.' Thor said, indicating Darcy's back.

'What Thor?' Tony asked, impatient.

Jane proclaimed in the same soft tone, 'Darcy's snake tattoo turned jade green.'

Steve wanted to know,'But what does it mean?'

'In Asgard, we seldom have words. Only those blessed by the Yggdrasil have spontaneous tattoos inlaid by their soulmate's first words to them. But we are generally born with them, I think because Loki is half-Jotunn his mark works differently. Jane and I are the first pair of soulmates  who  come from different worlds especially one of whom  is Midgardian, to my knowledge. I have 'Do me a favour and don't be dead over my heart while Jane has the Sowilo on her arm. It appears that Loki and Darcy share a soulbond as well.'

The pair in question were listening in rapt fascination.

' I know you, don't I? Your eyes. I have seen them before.' Darcy ventured.

'I was in Midgard after mother's demise, for a while. You would not have recognised me. My appearance was a bit altered to help me blend in.' Loki replied.

'Sometimes when I am distraught, I dream of your eyes and I feel that I can breathe again. You take it all away. Thank you.'

'You take my breath away.' Loki replied and brushed his lips over her knuckles. 'It is I who is blessed.'

Frigga smiled. She could at last rest in peace.

 

******************************************************************************************************************************************************

Loki's soulmark

 

Christmas bonus:


	6. Death(and other temporary problems)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Two words. Super soulmates."  
> I feel it in my bones  
> Enough to make my system blow  
> Welcome to the new age  
> To the new age  
> Welcome to the new age  
> To the new age  
> Ohohohohohohoh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so sorry. There's no excuse. Except real life has its own angst.  
> This is for Clinozoisite who said: If you're up to it, I'd love you forever for some Bucky/Darcy/Steve OT3.  
> Also dedicated to the fandoms and the people who live there.
> 
> I'd like to remind Clino of her promise and others to take the time to review if possible. I am so tired that I can't be bothered to check for any errors. But you, dear readers, you feel free to point 'em out.
> 
> All disclaimers apply. If you recognise some dialogues, they are probably paraphrased from the CA:TFA/CA:TWS and Bones.

             

 

                                                                  **Death(and other temporary problems) OR  OTP +1= OT3**

 

"There's got to be another way -- we’ll find a pilot to talk you through the landing,” Peggy begged.

"Can't," Steve said shortly. "No telling what these bombs might do -- crashing them into the ocean is the only choice."

"Steve. Steve please-" Peggy choked on a sob, "He wouldn't want this."

"He's not here." He gritted his teeth in a futile attempt to stem the tears. "I've got to do this. I can't take the stain of death of any other innocents on my  tattered soul, Peg."

"See you on the other side." He turned off the comms.

"Steve? Ste-" The line cut off.

Steve Rogers eyes were veiled by a film of tears. In the expanse beyond, where lay grey ice and blue sky, he could see the blurred horizon the colour of Bucky's eyes.

 

He remembered a passage from the poetry book Bucky had gotten him; bought cheap at  second-hand store after months of scrimping and hard labour so that Steve would have something to read  when he was too sick to draw on his eighteenth birthday. As the ground rushed up to swallow the distance, he muttered softly "Whispers of heavenly death murmur'd I hear," he closed his eyes "labial gossip of night, sibilant chorals," he thought of Bucky's voice hissing in pleasure, remembered the stolen kisses from Bucky lips, hiding from the nuns, meeting Bucky. He smiled at the thought. "Footsteps ascending  ̶̶̶̶̶̶ ̶̶̶̶̶ ̶̶̶

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

In an underground laboratory in Russia, Bucky Barnes felt the white-hot pain flaring in his chest and stopped fighting in shock. His captors were quick to make the most of this opportunity and strapped him securely to the examination table.

A familiar face from his nightmares loomed over him, glasses glinting in the harsh lights of the lab obscuring and transforming his pig-like watery blue eyes to something sinister and demonic.

"You'll be the new fist of Hydra." Zola said with a cool, cruel smile, adjusting his gloves.

***************************************************************************************************************************************************

Sarah Rogers was a strong, caring and capable woman. After losing her soulmate and husband in the War, she had turned all her determination and love into caring for her frail son who had been orphaned before he was born. Her work as a nurse kept them in food and clothes and put a roof over their head. Steve was a weak baby, born with maladies that would put a grown man in a hospital. The first year of his life was a case of touch and go, it was a miracle and largely due to his mother's endless devotion and untiring efforts that he had survived.

 Now, however, barely a month after his first birthday Steve was crying in agony, and Sarah could not help the poor boy except wiping off his body with a washcloth soaked in cold water from the taps. She was pacing, holding him in her arms gently and humming an old Irish lullaby trying to sooth him to sleep. Steve's weak body could not cope with the pain, causing a fever. Sarah worried that what was supposed to be a joyous occasion could turn into a tragedy. Would his soul depart just as it found it's mate? She kept up her silent vigil over the night, checking his pulse and breathing obsessively.  As the new day dawned, Steve's fever broke and his soulmark became clear _"Don't worry, I've got your six."_ written in an elegant hand in green. She sighed in relief, Steve's soulmate would clearly be able to look after him. The phrasing seemed off though, no girls were allowed in the military;  yet.....

Perhaps she would be born to a military man.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************       *********************************************************************************************************************************************************

 _"I'd 'em on the ropes but 'ppreciate th' help Buck-o."_ The words printed in Montana blue were fading in and out as he made his appearance, announcing it to the whole world by crying at the top of his lungs. The midwife made tutting noises at the newborn as she cleaned him, looking at the tired Mrs. Barnes sadly. "Bad omen" she said sniffing, "to have your words do that so soon after birth."

"Let me hold him" Mrs. Barnes nee Buchanan said.

"Hush lad." She took her wailing son in her arms, "looks like your mate is a fighter. But she cannae do it alone. You have to be strong fur her. "

"Oh he will, brave and strong like his mother." James Barnes Sr formerly James Tepes, smiling at his wife, remembering the day when he met his soulmate. It was her courage and strength that carried in her Scottish burr, that had caught his attention and held it till now.  

Her delightful accent which only came out in stressful situations, had all but disappeared in the years since she moved to America with James Barnes, who had fought for Romania with the Allies in the Great War, evading capture and fleeing to England. His Grampy, a Count in Transylvannia moved to United States after his soulmate had been killed. He had landed in England, passing the day in a little B and B , before he had board the ship to the New World to join his remaining family when his keen ears picked up the sound of a struggle.

 Two thugs had cornered a young woman who was putting up a fight by the signs of it. "Eh clocked whit yir daein, yi claw baw" said one to the other who answered leering at the girl, "Awe aye that lassies got bloody huge chebs." The woman now enraged said, "Eh'll gie u a right clout,pal.' They started guffawing loudly at the thought that this tiny woman had threatened to hit them, and so provided her the opportunity to take out the brick hidden in her fancy handbag and strike the thugs with it. 'Feckless fools!' she sneered.

 _'That was very brave of you, milady.'_ trying to be smooth and charming like he had seen grampy Vlad  do, (who used to flirt with his soulmate , his grandmother even after years of  marriage).

Ginevra 'Gina' Buchanan suddenly wished that she could drink a bottle or two her father's scotch. Buchanan blend had never looked more appealing. She realised her mouth had formed a small O in surprise and quickly snapped it shut. She cleared her throat and said, _'I beg your pardon'_ , in a slightly incredulous tone. She couldn't believe that this handsome man was complimenting her after the scuffle when she was surely looking as ragged and worn as she felt, on her unladylike behaviour no less(according to her mother). He really must be my soulmate, she thought.

'James Tepes-Barnes, at your service.' performing a slight bow(he did not forget his etiquette lessons).

'Pleasure.' Gina said smiling shyly.

 

James came to the present hearing his wife say his name, in a way that showed that she had been trying to get his attention for quite some time. "I think we should name him after his father and my father."

"James Buchanan Barnes." He said, "It's a nice strong name. But bit o' a mouthful."

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Bucky Barnes was having the time of his life, he didn't have any chores to do as Becca had said she would do his as she had not been able to save the money she got from their parents to buy him a gift. His younger sister was quite adamant that he would do his chores the next day, but seeing as it was his birthday she offered to do his chores in lieu of a present. He readily agreed. So now he was exploring the park in the new neighbourhood, where they had shifted to recently. He was trying to choose between the swings and the slides and finding it difficult, when he heard a faint crying sound near the slides. Slides first, then.

A little girl, no more than five or six, was crying sitting on the grass. Bucky, all of eleven asked, "What happened, kid? Why are you crying?"

The child hiccuped, "F-Fat Louie took m' 'wents' pictuwe an made fun o me! Shteeb's gone after 'im, 'e will get 'urt."

"Who's Shteeb, your brother?"

"No! 'e is m' friend. Am gonna mawwy 'im when I gwow up." She lisped.

"I better go and help him then."

Bucky stood up and saw two boys running, the smaller one was wheezing and looked to be in pain. He started in their direction. He saw that the smaller boy was trying to take something from the former who was laughing and jeering at him. The smaller boy headbutted him, taking the picture but he got elbowed in his stomach. His knees gave out, he sat down abruptly gasping in pain, one hand still curled around the edges of the photo, the other surreptitiously gathering a medium-sized rock from the ground. Fat Louie, for it could not be any other, was taunting the boy and called for someone named Petey, the boy was still on the ground( _looked around the girl's age: must be Shteeb_ , he deduced. Bucky fancied himself a detective and had asked for more Sherlock Holmes books for his birthday from his father, who had given him the first one last year on his 10th.) Petey, a gangly boy with a thin reedy face looked as if he was going to hit Shteeb, when Bucky caught up to them and lunged ,knocking Petey down instead.

"Don't worry,' he said grinning, turning towards the smaller who was busy punching and getting a few hits in, "I've got your six."

He stopped, getting punched in the teeth for his troubles. Fat Louie tried to punch him again but he was suddenly hopping on one foot. Shteeb had struck his knee with the rock. Petey had gotten up and was now running away.

Bucky kicked Fat Louie between his legs. Shteeb was huffing, "I'd 'em on the ropes but 'ppreciate th' help Buck-o."

"You are welcome, Shteeb."

"It's Steve. Steve Rogers.Wait, how do you know my name?"

" The little girl told me. My name's Bucky. How'd you know mine? Were _you_ making _fun_ of me?" Bucky raised both his eyebrows, lips firm in admonishment.

"What? No!" Steve replied, wide-eyed.

"But you said Buck-o! That's what my soulmate calls me! "

"Let me see your words, please."

"Why?" Bucky asked suspiciously, everyone kept theirs covered but he didn't think the little boy would hurt him.

"I-I think you might be mine." He turned red, stammering.

Bucky cocked an eyebrow, "Say what now?"

 "Soulmate, I think you might be my soulmate."

"Okay but only if you show me yours first." Bucky declared. _It is my birthday, it should be my turn._

Steve lifted his shirt and pointed to his left pectorals.

 _That's my handwriting_ , Bucky thought. _But Ma said that soulmates marry and live together and have kids. Becca's going to be unbearable. A promise was a promise though and Ma said gentlemen keep their promises._ So he unbuttoned the first two buttons of his new shirt and pulled it aside to show the words crawling across his chest and running towards his left shoulder. "Here" he said.

Steve was smiling widely unmindful of his injuries, "Let's go! We've to tell my ma and Maria" dragging Bucky by his hand. Maria turned out to be the little girl who had been sobbing. "Look Maria! I found my soulmate."

"But Shteeb ow can 'e be youw soulmate? S' a boy!" she said." You can't marry 'im , Shteeb's my friend!" She narrowed her eyes at Bucky.

"Hey no, I don't wanna marry him." He watched Steve's face fall at this apparent rejection, curiously  it caused a pang to go through his heart . "Tell you what, I'll be his best friend and you can marry him."

Maria grinned happily and even Steve sported a small smile. "As if I would marry you, jerk." He teased, eyes crinkling at the corners.

"You wish, punk."

************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Steve's Ma and Mrs. Barnes were happy for their children but dismayed at the thought of no grandkids. Steve and Bucky had fast become best friends, saving each other from scrapes and taking pleasure in beating the stuffing out of whoever made fun of them or their odd bond with Maria. The three unlikely friends were at the centre of many nasty rumours. Five years after they first met, Steve Rogers stole a kiss from his soulmate.

 Maria, now the same age as Bucky was, declared that she was not waiting five years to kiss her soulmate. She insisted they both get her first kiss, as they were her best friends. Steve blushed a delicious shade of red, Bucky snickered. "As you say, doll. If you and your soulmate don't work out, you can marry one of us even." He said laughing, "We can maybe, create our own little family."  

She squealed in delight because who could tell? Maybe she would. They were her boys after all.

"You've to grow up first." Steve cut in, smiling faintly.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Two years later, Sarah Rogers died and Steve moved in with Bucky.

One year after that Becca met her soulmate, Will Proctor. Maria kissed Steve _AND_ Bucky under the mistletoe on Christmas Eve at the Barnes' place. The elder Carbonells didn't like it, but Grampy Barnes cackled with glee. Mrs. Barnes started dreaming of grandchildren, again.  One month later, Maria met her soulmate  in Italy, where she had gone to visit her cousins with her grandparents.

The year later, War broke out. Steve enrolled at art school, doing odd jobs like selling newspapers and drawing the occasional Tijuana Bibles for money. Bucky started working at the docks and doing part-time at the grocer's when they needed it. Two men living together wasn't a big thing where they stayed, their neighbourhood being mostly queer, and others like them. That these two guys were soulmates, one light and one dark, one frail and the other strapping did not bother them at all. If there was talk of the bigger one bringing home dames, they know Stevie is okay with it, they know that Stevie came first. Two men still couldn't marry each other even if they're soulmates. So what if Steve's soul was tethered by Bucky's determination to keep him alive? So what if Bucky's parents were willing to overlook the fact that Steve cannot give them grandchildren, so what if the nuns at their Catholic school could not comprehend how their relationship was sinful? So what if Bucky gave Steve his mother's ring as a promise? So what if they dreamt of a better, safer, healthier future?

Steve's health had always been a source of concern for Bucky who took care of him as best as he could, despite Steve's insistence that he was alright. Bucky followed Steve to every fight that he got into (he had never been good at keeping quiet when he saw some wrongdoing). Steve was pathologically incapable of running away, not when there were bullies around menacing the little people. Bucky was pathologically incapable of leaving Steve to his fights. Not when there were people( and Steve) to be saved. As much as he pretended that he didn't care for getting into squabbles other than to help Steve, he was as much a hero as Steve was.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Steve is in his art class, when news breaks out about the attack on Pearl Harbour. In the following weeks, recruitment camps pop up all over the country. Steve is determined to serve his country, Bucky cares only about Steve, who after being rejected for the fourth time (even falsifying the records) gets in a fight with some goons who were harassing a Jewish woman.

At home, after dabbing Steve's cuts and injuries with ice he says quietly, 'Don't go somewhere I can't follow."

"I won't. I'm with you till the end of the line, pal."

"Till the end of the line." Bucky smiles, "I love you, punk."

"Love you too, jerk."

 

The next day, Steve comes home to find Bucky with a letter in his hands, head bowed. Bucky's been drafted for the war. He has to leave in a week for training.

 

They decide to make the most of the time they have left. Bucky leaves his job to spend some precious  moments he has with Steve. They go on trips to Coney Island, take in some pictures, go to the dance halls even though Steve doesn't know how to dance, make love 'til late morning, Bucky posing for Steve's paintings. Though they remain optimistic in the face of their inevitable separation and show a happy visage to the other, they each dread that this would be last time they see each other. Soon the week comes to an end, and Bucky has to catch the train. Bucky (in a bid to lift Steve's spirits) takes him to the Stark Expo. Overhearing Rogers' conversation with Barnes about wanting to help in the war, Dr. Abraham Erskine allows Rogers to enlist. He is recruited into the Scientific Strategic Reserve as part of a "super-soldier" experiment under Erskine, Col. Chester Phillips, and British agent Peggy Carter.

Project Rebirth transforms Steve's body to the perfect male specimen created to fight. But Dr. Erskine is assassinated by Hydra, and the samples of the super-soldier serum get destroyed. Senator Brandt deciding that Steve Rogers (now known as Captain America) is too precious to fight or be experimented upon, has him doing tours in an effort to sell war bonds.

Peggy Carter visits him when is in Italy on a tour performing for active servicemen, she senses his discontent at being a dancing monkey who even with all his tricks fails to raise the drooping spirits of these men and tells him that it is the remaining troop of the 107th. Steve knowing that Bucky serves in the 107th, plots a rescue attempt with her help and Peggy enlists Howard Stark in the scheme. Steve infiltrates a Hydra base and frees all the prisoners including Bucky. Dr. Arnim Zola and the Red Skull escape.

Steve forms a team with some of the freed soldiers. As always Sergeant Bucky Barnes follows him. Together the Howling Commandoes capture and destroy Hydra bases all over Europe.

 During the mission to capture Zola, the team assaults a train. In the resulting fight, Bucky falls, presumed dead.   

In the end, it is Bucky who goes somewhere Steve can't follow. But he damn well tries, stopped only by the thought of people still needing him to do his job.

Two days later, Steve crashes his plane in the Arctic.

 

 ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Seventy years later, Steve Rogers wakes up to the sound of a baseball game played on the radio. He is greeted by a nurse, whose dress emulates that of a nurse, but something seems off about it. That and the fact that he and Bucky had gone to watch the game in '41 makes him suspicious. He busts out of the room, punching and kicking a few people in the vicinity who tried to contain him, and runs to the street; where he stops, bewildered by the familiar yet strange sight of Times Square. A cavalcade of black SUVs with a logo on them come to a halt, surrounding him and a tall black man wearing an eyepatch and a  black leather trenchcoat steps out from one. He introduces himself as Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. and informs that he's been asleep for almost seventy years.

The first thing Steve does after settling down in the quarters provided by SHIELD and going through the files of the Commandoes, Peggy Carter and Howard Stark , is try to gather the courage to call Peggy(he cannot, he is not yet ready).

His words from Bucky are now a dull green(not the pale grey it had been since the fall). The next day it becomes the brilliant emerald green it always was; the day after, it has again faded to a pale grey. The medical staff at SHIELD poke and prod at it to no avail. They don't have any answers for him, except that the serum may have made it anomalous. He is  so engrossed in his misery that he almost misses the words on his right sole. A few days after the fact, the Chitauri, an alien race led by Loki invades the earth and he meets the other Avengers, leads them into battle and helps defeat the alien invasion. Thor and Loki return to Asgard with the tesseract and each of them go their own way(though not before being invited to live in the Stark Tower by Tony). Steve spends the next few months visiting the remaining Commandoes and Peggy and rediscovering his roots. He starts working for SHIELD maintaining an apartment at DC and spending a few months at the Stark Tower in New York.

He is becoming accustomed to the wonders of the future but unfortunately for him, he still does not know what part of his words mean. He searches new military terms, then other acronyms, all in vain. No one at SHIELD had thought to introduce him to the world of modern fandoms.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************

He sees Bucky again.

_"Who the hell is Bucky?"_

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************

The Soldier is taken out of the cryo to kill Fury.

He doesn't give a thought to why the technicians are snickering at him. It does not matter. Asset should not have thoughts other than the mission. He completes his mission. Always.

_"Bucky?"_

_"Who the hell is Bucky?"_

_"But I knew him..."_

_"Your name is James Buchanan Barnes."_

_"You. Are. My. Mission."_

_"Then do it. 'Cause I'm with you 'til the end of line."_

 The target lets go of the SHIELD, he remembers a flash of red, white and blue in his hands. (The Asset's hands transform into another's, into a man's.

The target falls in the river. He remembers falling.

_He remembers the target._

He dives in after him.

_He remembers following a towheaded scrappy beanpole with a stubborn ass into fights and rescuing said ass from them._

_He.....he remembers Steve._

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Steve Rogers meets Bucky Barnes again in Brooklyn, where the park used to be; months later, months after following a trail of death and destruction of SHIELD/Hydra bases(and doing a little damage himself. Sam helps.)

Steve gives up his apartment in DC and moves in permanently at the Stark Tower. He is trying to rebuild his relationship with Bucky. He does not want to tell him about the words in his right foot yet. He does not dare ask Bucky if he got another mark too. What if he had not? Or worse? What if he had and Hydra had taken it from Bucky like they had taken part of his?

_Later. I will tell him later._

(They have not yet kissed, both trying to get a hold of their mental state. Sam, friend-turned-therapist-turned-Avenger helps.)

 

As luck would have it, _later_ comes sooner rather than later.

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

 

 After the events in London, Darcy returned to New York to live in Stark Tower with Jane, Erik and Thor. Ian had decided not to accompany them, it was an amicable parting. It was not as if Darcy would coerce him even if he was her soulmate, which he was not.

Her own marks( she had two) _"What the hell?"_ and " _Oh-um,sorry...you are..I can't...UGH!"_ do not inspire much confidence. With the way her first mark(bottle green outlined by dark brown), the one spanning her waist, fades and brightens makes her think that his life might be in danger regularly, maybe he is very sick or in a dangerous profession; there is little she can do to help unless she meets him. The second mark(a brilliant blue outlining a silvery grey handwriting)  is of someone who is either very inarticulate, or a dunce or someone having a nervous tic, she thinks. She has no idea how close yet far her idea is from the people who are her soulmates.

Darcy had interned for Jane for six college credits but somehow she got roped into more, even after signing a fuckton of NDAs for SHIELD. Now that she had finally finished her Ph.D in Poli.Sci with an additional diploma in management, she was looking to put it to use.(Uses other than fetching coffee, mapping data charts and assisting in whatever needed to be done, applying for research grants, like reminding Jane to take a breath and do other things than Science!) She was interviewing for the task of  assistant to the head of R & D at SI, that is, Tony Stark.

She was asked to go to the workshop by Jarvis where she introduced herself to Tony.  " Hi, I'm Darcy Lewis. I lived in a commune and I believe sharing is caring. Thanks for letting me live  in the tower beeteedubs!"  ( "Co-operative Darcy, we live in a co-operative." She could almost hear mother speaking in sotto voce.)

"Huh!" Tony breathed. "You got the job."

"Really?! Wow." Darcy whooped.

Bruce who had  been muttering distractedly, looked up at that. "Uh..what happened here?"

"Meet Darcy Lewis--" Tony began.

"Girl Friday Extraordinaire aka She-Who-Felled-Thor-With-His-Own-Weapon aka the handmaiden to ...." She started.

"Wait, wait, wait. You defeated THOR with _his own hammer?!_ " Tony interrupted.

"Myeuh-myeuh? No. I tased him." She said.

"Oh. Em. Gee!" Tony crowed.

"IKR!" Darcy grinned. "High five?" She said holding up her hand. Tony met that with his own, a maniacal smile on his face.

"Oh no. There are two of them." Bruce said in mounting humour/horror. _Hmm, they might be related; same chin, similar nose and same hair colour._

"So as I was saying before I got interrupted: meet Darcy Lewis, the new chief administrator of R & D." Tony finished in a rush.

"OMT. Thank you." Darcy smiled widely.

"Eh, no biggie! You're my kinda girl. Plus Pepper recommended you after reviewing your files." Tony declared.

"Pepper? You mean the Pepper Potts?! I can't even." Darcy said in wonderment and giddy excitement.

"Hey, hands off! She's mine."  Tony answered smirking.

"Whatever happened to sharing is caring?" She quirked her eyebrow up in response.

"Brat!" Tony said fondly.

"Be seeing you on Monday, boss-man. Have fun!" She said, waving goodbye. "You too, Doctor Banner." She nodded to Bruce.

Bruce smiled briefly in response.

Tony said to Bruce, "She's something, huh? She's Dr. Foster's intern and was recommended for SHIELD by Agent."

"Oh, so this is that Darcy Clint told us about." Bruce said.

"Hmm." Tony murmured. _Yes, she's definitely something._ He thought to himself, seeing Bruce's quiet bemusement.

Working as Chief Admin for R&D at SI, she got  several variations from distracted scientists and their underlings of her soulmarks almost every other day. Twice she had got the same words spoken to her but none of them turned out to be her soulmate(s).

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Darcy Lewis loved three things. Her trusty taser, her iPod (god bless its lost soul), her coffee, her job, her people.

Four things, she loved four things and.......................................... free food.

Okay, maybe make that five( she didn't count her iPod).

She had had a long day at work (explosions, portals to unknown planets, code green... just don't ask). She was famished. Alas! her fridge had nothing left, not even last week's Chinese. Thor or Clint had been in her apartment so she could not decide who to blame.

Hence the late night trip to the communal floor. You know.

_Free food and all that jazz._

She tiptoed to the kitchen area, taking care not to make any noise as Tony was  softly snoring in the daybed, hand clutching an empty coffee mug to his chest. She figured he needed the sleep after the three day long Science bender.

Taking out a bowl of what looked like home-made spaghetti with meatballs, she heated it up in the oven. She took a bite and closed her eyes, revelling in the taste. Sadly, her hunger did not lead to savouring the delicate flavours. _What a waste!_ She thought to herself, devouring the food in quick bites. She washed the bowl and was about to head to the living area, when she suddenly stopped.

And squealed.

(Her fangirl heart and other ladyparts went pitter-patter.) For framed in the doorway were two men, one metallic hand clutching the other's soft blond hair as they kissed.

It had been a month since Captain America had come to live in the tower, towing along a subdued yet oddly optimistic Winter Soldier and an exultant Falcon.

Darcy had been on a business trip with Pepper when they had arrived, returning two weeks after the occasion. And then she got busy with her job, so she could not meet her heroes. When she did get the time, she decided to give it time and leave them alone as Clint had said something about PTSD, therapy, and whatnot.

And now they were here, giving her a free show.

Naturally, she squealed. Once she realized what she had done, she quickly clapped both her hands on her mouth, mortified.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Bucky and Steve had returned from their date on Coney Island, and were about to retire to their respective rooms when Steve's stomach growled. Bucky's grumbled in sympathy. They were out of food, seeing as how in their nervousness  for the date ,they forgot to ask Jarvis to order the weekly provisions. Their fridge only had a couple of eggs and half a carton of milk. They went to the communal floor in search of something hearty.

They were near the door, when Steve asked, "Um...Buck? How about we go see a show, and maybe dinner at the Shawarma  joint tomorrow, on our next date? That is, um, would you, y'know go out on another date, with me, I mean? It is not too much too soon, right?"

"How 'bout I do a show and tell?" Saying so, Bucky smirked slyly and kissed a stunned Steve who enthusiastically returned the favour.

Bucky had his hand in Steve's hair, who was duelling with his tongue against Bucky's. Things were getting heated when they heard a sound like someone squealing and then stopping abruptly.

Darcy had covered her mouth to stop herself from being noticed as soon as she made that mortifying sound. Their super-soldier hearing though did not lend to such a thing. The men turned as one towards Darcy who was frozen in shock.

Steve felt a blush creeping up his neck and opened his mouth to apologize. Bucky remained still, though he took in the lady who had interrupted them. He saw that both Stevie and her had gone red in the face and smirked.

Darcy's fangirl instincts had overcome her inhibitions and her brain-to-mouth filter, which was mostly faulty, stopped working altogether. She opened her mouth to apologize to the Captain(she was not sure how the Sergeant would respond) but what came out of her mouth was, _"OMT! you are like my real-life OTP."_

Steve's eyes widened to comical proportions, he paled and then flushed.

Bucky seeing his condition, turned brusquely to Darcy. _"What the hell?"_

 _"Yanno like Destiel or Johnlock only real!"_ Darcy replied. Her common sense and smarts had deserted her like her filter, leaving her with a runaway tongue.

It was now Bucky's turn to be stumped. No one knew about the mark that could almost pass for a tramp-stamp, not even Steve. _Was she Hydra? But Stark had vetted for everyone in the tower._

Steve having come out of his stupor, stammered awkwardly, " _Oh-um,sorry...you are..I can't...UGH!"_

Darcy gaped. _It couldn't be. Right?_

Bucky, feeling a bit lost said, "Stevie?"

"Buck, I think she might be my soulmate." At his look, he corrected himself, "My other soulmate. I mean, uh unless she's Hydra."

Darcy who had been following the conversation, said," I am not Hydra, I swear to Thor. Cross my heart and hope to die, thousand needles in my eye yadda yadda yadda... Tony can vouch for me. I mean this is _Stark Tower, right?_ "

Bucky smiled, "Well, in that case.... I believe you might be mine."

Steve cut in, "He means _ours_ , don't ya jerk?"

"Can I get that in writing, please?" Darcy chirped. She couldn't believe her luck. After all the hits and misses, she was justifiably prone to demand proof. Also, these two? _No fucking way._

Bucky smirked, and said slyly, "If you insist" He started unbuttoning his jeans.

Steve had caught on by now, and started removing his shoes.

Darcy gulped, and said, 'EEEK!" She huffed out a weak, "What are you doing?!"

 Bucky stopped and said, "We'll show ours if you show us yours."

Darcy was flabbergasted, her poor body(and heart) was palpitating, "WHAT?! _NO._ I did not mean.."

Steve said, "You asked to see it in writing, correct?"

"Well, yes." She replied.

Bucky resumed his task, saying, "Relax, doll. My soulmark is in my lower back just above..." he indicated his butt.

Steve had removed both his shoes and was rolling the sock off of his right foot.

"Oh!" Darcy said, "Yours are not in a place that can be shown in public. But since--"

Tony who had woken up at Darcy's _'EEEK'_  and had decided to make his way to his bed, stopped when he saw Bucky and Steve stripping out their clothes. "Hey! No geriatric sex on the communal floor. It's one of the house rules. Cap I thought you'd think twice about doing the do in front of other people. My eyes! My childhood!" He kept up a steady stream of chatter, "Besides, Lil' Dee! She is here. Are you corrupting her? Are they trying to corrupt you, Dee?" He said to Darcy, eyebrows lifted and waving his hands.

Steve was trying to form coherent replies, while Bucky's thought took a rather lurid turn.

"Tony, sometimes you are a real effing pain in the ass." Darcy responded.

"Ha! You said the f-word but not the F-word, I'd be offended if I wasn't so shocked." Tony said.

"What? The occasional curse word can serve as a healthy form of a non-violent retribution." Darcy deadpanned.

"Occasional..?" came a voice , steeped in sarcasm and disbelief, from the vents.

"So, you *non*swore to stop yourself from hitting me?" Tony continued.

Bucky said primly," Given your personality I suppose you're quite used to that."

"Whoa! Take it easy there Sergeant Sassypants." Tony said, quite dramatically even for him, "Oh Captain! My Captain! Wilst thou tell me the truth?"

"I beg your pardon." Steve was dumbfounded, but it was quite a common reaction to Tony.

"Forgiven." Tony muttered, "Darce, deets now!"

"Two words. Super soulmates." Darcy turned to the supersoldiers, "My apartment. Now."

"Ma'am. Yes, ma'am." They said in unison and followed her to her floor, where they showed each other their soulmarks, ordered take-out, travelled into fandoms heretofore unknown, and other things that might require a PG warning.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************

R-rated things would come later. (Darcy scrupulously followed the rule of three.)


	7. There be dragons Or dragunovs(and tasers)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy tases and kicks. Soldier fires and smirks. Business as usual... Except.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late but I've a valid reason. Kind of. My laptop crashed and recovering lost data was a bitch and a half.
> 
> Standard disclaimers apply. 
> 
> Pairing: Darcy/Bucky. Darcy's birthday is so close to christmas that it's the day of Tonys huge christmas party and everyone has either forgotten about it or never really knew the exact date of her birthday. she meets Bucky for the first time and he knows 'cause Bucky double checked everyone who lives and/or works at the tower. Bonus: Words: "Happy Birthday, make a wish!" - Vampiresangel
> 
> Belated Happy Birthday, mon ange. Enjoy!

 

                                                                          **There be  dragons Or dragunovs(and tasers)**

 

 

 

After the fateful confrontation aboard the helicarrier, and a swan dive in the Potomac river(when he almost killed the target and saved Steve), his mind was in a state of chaos. His memories were surfacing haphazardly making it difficult to realise what was true and what was a construct of his mind or programming. He knew one thing though, the man on the bridge was(is?) important. He remembered him being smaller but... he was conflicted. So when the Triskelion fell he went searching for answers. He looked for information in the Hydra safehouse where he learned about the exhibition going on in the Smithsonian, going there and looking at the various exhibits of Captain America and the Howling Commandoes, made his memories clearer. He wanted to go to Steve and beg his forgiveness, beg for mercy, for his friendship. But he couldn't. He was not ready. He had debts to pay. In blood and in tears.

Seeing the exhibit had jumpstarted his brain, giving him a thirst for vengeance. The Hydra safehouse he had commandeered for himself provided him with supplies(food, cash, weapons) and more importantly, information.  The woman with the red hair, called Black Widow( Agent Natasha Romanoff), no Natalia, his subconscious supplied had leaked files on the internet, displaying every information on SHIELD/Hydra for the whole world to see. He suspected that this couldn't be all that Hydra had. Hydra was more pervasive than a noxious pungent fume and had more resilience than a cockroach. And he was right.

He had tailed the man with the wings(Sam Wilson: Codename Falcon, former Pararescue) discreetly and found that he and Steve were searching for him, Natalia had given Steve a file on him and Fury was alive. (How?)

The months that followed showed random destruction of properties(and lives) throughout the world. While Steve and his team were methodical and followed a certain trajectory; the Soldier, not Bucky (he would pay them in their own coin) was the Angel of Death incarnate, there was no telling when or where he would strike.

He did the best he could to exterminate Hydra but even he had his limits. So he went back to New York. All the time Steve had tried to follow him, he had been four steps ahead. And now, unbeknownst to Steve, Bucky had followed him home. He was not up for meeting Steve yet, but he wanted to keep him and his new friends safe. So he kept an eye on the tower where Steve lived .Which meant that he knew all about the residents and workers(R&D staff, management, security etc), the info-dump on the internet had been particularly helpful in that regard. Of course, he corroborated all the facts from other sources as well.

He was there when a large blond (Thor) came to live in the tower, accompanied by two brunettes, one waif-like with a distracted air about her and the other taller and buxom who was chattering nineteen to the dozen. Both were beautiful, but the latter looked like a wet dream that Bucky would have back in the day when he was young and carefree, before the war, before Hydra. He found that the thin brunette was a scientist named Jane Foster and Thor's soulmate while the other was Darcy Lewis, her assistant and best friend.

He observed Darcy being kept at a distance by the Avengers, he saw her gradually break through their walls and them becoming her reluctant friends. He looked on as Steve(who somehow still felt like an outsider) was taken under wing, he watched their friendship blossom. He saw Steve smile at her and blush, as she told a bawdy joke. He saw how they brought out the impish and mischievous behaviour in each other. He watched as they became close.

 And he was jealous.

He did not know what he was jealous of. Was he jealous that they had become close? Undoubtedly. But why? Was it because it felt like she was replacing Bucky? Was it because she made Steve smile and blush? Was it because it was Steve who enjoyed the pleasure of her company, instead of Bucky? Was it because their roles had changed, their places reversed? It was now Bucky who looked on as Steve charmed the ladies. Was it because a dame who would not have looked out of place on the nose of those bombers liked Steve?

 No, it couldn't be. After all, he wished the best for Steve, and Steve deserved happiness. As the Winter Soldier became Bucky Barnes, as the Asset transformed into a human, again; he gained a man's emotions, his thoughts and his frailties. Some days when he felt his mind besieged by the previous night's terrors and dreams and memories, he thought it was, perhaps, better when he was a blank slate. Better when he had not known how to be anything other  than the Asset. Better when he could not remember Steve whose inherent goodness shone like the sunshine and reached the dark places in Bucky's mind, who'd not have hesitated to kill to do right by Steve, to protect him from the cruel world even as he resented Steve for it, even as he knew that he could not be as good as Steve was, even when he was whole and charming and kind, Bucky was good at being bad.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

He had been doing his daily surveillance as usual, though the day was anything but usual. It was Christmas week, and the holiday spirit seemed to haunt even grumpy grinches. The streets were chockfull of people doing their last-minute shopping, the restaurants were overflowing with the sea of hungry humans, the pubs and dance-clubs hosted X-mas themed events, young couples and families were out ice-skating, and even the hospitals seemed festive. Of course, even in this Stark Tower stood out with its stately and somewhat over the top decorations. Curiously enough, the residents of the tower seemed missing. The answer came in the form of a bus which showed off a glittering advertisement announcing the Christmas Gala hosted by the Maria Stark Foundation in collaboration with Stark Industries at the Stark mansion.

The man (Asset) codenamed Winter Soldier formerly known as Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes aka Bucky Barnes former Howling Commando and best friend of Steve Rogers (alias Captain America)  wasn't sure what to do. No, that's not right. He's confused. It was not the first time he'd been confused after he'd shaken off his programming. No, he was confounded by an unusual occurence.

When everyone seemed to have left, he was surprised by the sight of Darcy all dolled up and standing alone , the breeze playing with her curls and the setting sun offset her skin making her glow. He saw her try and fail to hail a cab, shivering at the entrance of the tower. A few cabs went whooshing past Darcy but not a single one had stopped. He saw the moment she gave up in frustration and followed her as she started walking in  the opposite direction.

He knew it had been her birthday on Christmas Eve, but during the few appearances that she made while doing errands she looked morose. It was not a good look on her(not that she was any less beautiful for it), he simply didn't like her looking unhappy.

And now she was alone and looking sad again. Why was the punk not with her? No matter, he thought. He would see to her safety.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A few hours earlier.....

 

Darcy was feeling miserable, her parents were on their annual cruise,(as had been the case since she could remember.) Jane was in Asgard with Thor for Yule, the Avengers were no doubt hobnobbing with the who's who of the international society, Steve was off reliving old memories of Christmas past and even Bruce was away on a trip to India. No one had remembered to wish her on her birthday which had been yesterday. Darcy Marilyn Lewis had lived for a quarter of a century on 11.59 pm 24th Dec, but her unconventional and dysfunctional family had not even remembered.

They were busy celebrating the Christmas gala(that a lowly lab grunt like her had not been invited to), gallivanting in exotic places (like Asgard,Australia,India), or thought it was better being alone on Christmas(this made her particularly pissed and inexplicably sad)

Darcy had gone shopping and had bought gifts for everyone, and had gifted herself a Belstaff(she was a fan of good-looking things which included Brits with cheekbones and a delectable wardrobe) with the guilt money her parents had sent in lieu of being there for her. But she did not get the chance to give the presents to her friends. They were each busy in their work and later busy getting ready for the gala. So, there she was, alone on Christmas AND her birthday(which no one remembered, apparently). She left the gifts outside their doors, drank her homemade eggnog.

And now she was off to enjoy by her lonesome. She wore her granny's  Chopard cloverleaf earrings with a fitted off-white dress with a decent décolletage that drew attention to her generous bust and put on a pair of high-heeled off-white pumps, topping it with her new Belstaff.  The overall effect was that off effortless elegance married into sartorial seduction. She looked gorgeous or in Darcy's words Sofa King Hawt. No one would know by looking at her, that she was just an assisstant(though it'd not be fair to call her 'just' anything) who wore baggy sweaters and handmade beanies daily to work.

Gone was the broke college student vibe, and in place was a woman who knew what she wanted. Darcy was ready to adult... and partay! Nobody could look at her and see her loneliness, only one with a trained discerning eye and an expert in the nuances of her expressions would get a glimpse of her old soul and aching heart. Darcy could out-act the Widow if she wanted. And she wanted. She wanted to show the world, that yes, she was here; yes, she could do it; yes, she did not need anybody. If she knew, buried deep in heart that she wanted the other half of her soul to complete her, she kept it to herself.

She wanted, yes. But she did not need.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Darcy had decided to spend the evening in a bar, drinking away her troubles and hoping to pick up somebody to sex her up and get rid of her cumbersome virginity. She was twenty-five and done waiting for her soulmate.

 _I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need..._ The dulcet tones of Mariah Carey began to play.

 _Huh. Merry Christmas to me._ Darcy told herself and asked for her usual. The bartender, who knew her as a regular customer, winked and said,'Happy birthday-make a wish!' Darcy inclined her head in thanks and said, 'A very merry Christmas to you.'

_I don't care about  the presents underneath the Christmas tree._

Darcy grimaced. No, she did not want anything for Christmas, and although pressies would be welcome , all she wanted was to be loved and remembered from time to time. Maybe somebody else to wish her on her birthday or even a merry Xmas, someone other than the bartender who was most probably wishing her out of obligation, as a part of customer service of the bar that she frequented. Her friends...

_I just want you for my own more than you could ever know._

She slammed her empty glass on the countertop and asked for a refill.

_Make my wish come true..._

She remembered as a kid,she had believed in miracles. She used to stay at granny's wishing that her parents would come visit. And every night she wished upon a star that she would be loved. 

Star light, star bright  
I wish I may  
I wish I might  
Have the wish I wish tonight

She smiled at the memory. She gulped it down and looked around, eyes alight, maybe tonight she would know the intimacy of sex.

_All I want for Christmas is you._

Then again, would it be intimate with a stranger?  Would she be able to do it? Break the promise she had made to herself? How could she? Even when she found someone aesthetically appealing, she did not find them attractive if she did not love them. And she was still waiting to fall in love. Her crushes did not do anything for her as she could envision a future with them. It was not love, not some all-abiding passion that could burn and leave her gasping for breath, enflaming her with lust and binding her by fire. She was hopeful, however. She believed that her soulmate would be the one. The one made solely for her, the one she did not need to survive but who she wanted to live with. To love, to laugh with.

_I don't want a lot for Christmas_  
_There is just one thing I need_  
_And I don't care about the presents_  
_Underneath the Christmas tree._

_I don't need to hang my stocking_  
_There upon the fireplace_  
_Santa Claus won't make me happy_  
_With a toy on Christmas Day._

No, she did not need anything. Presents won't take away her loneliness or make her happy.

 

 _I just want you for my own_  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true  
All I want for Christmas is you  
You baby.

 _Oh, I won't ask for much this Christmas_  
I won't even wish for snow  
And I'm just gonna keep on waiting  
Underneath the mistletoe.

But maybe a birthday wish to meet her soulmate...

Being 25, and an attractive biromantic demisexual who was waiting for her soulmate was harrowing.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bucky had followed Darcy to a dive-bar. He occupied a shadowed corner of the room and kept an eye on her. If she needed rescuing, he would intervene. In the meantime, he was quite impressed and indeed entertained to see her finishing her shots like water and see the men(and some women) approach her and be politely but firmly( and sometimes snarkily) rebuffed.

_I won't make a list and send it  
To the North Pole for Saint Nick_

After the seventh consecutive refill, the bartender refused to serve her anymore citing that she needed to get home safe. Darcy huffed but relented.

_I won't even stay awake to  
Hear those magic reindeer click. _

Bucky observed her tipping the guy and sketch a salute cheekily. He smirked and got up.

_'Cause I just want you here tonight_

_Holding on to me so tight_

_What more can I do?_

Punk was lucky. And a goddamned fool. If she was his girl, he would never leave her alone, that too on Christmas. Darcy was one helluva dame.

 _Baby all I want for Christmas is you,_  
_You Baby._  
  
He followed her at a distance, cataloging all the strangers and assessing their threat level. Because even on Christmas, it could be dangerous. It was very easy for someone with skill to slip in unnoticed with the crowds.

 _Oh, all the lights are shining_ _  
So brightly everywhere_

 _And the sound of children's_  
Laughter fills the air.  


__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Darcy had felt eyes on her all evening but none with malicious intent and none that interested her. She looked around her, saw the happy couples with wide smiles and misty eyes.

_And everyone is singing_

_I hear those sleigh bells ringin_  


She just wished she had someone to share her Christmas with, someone who'd know without asking what she wanted but who'd ask her what she needed.

_Won't you please bring my baby to me?_

Someone who loved her, and who she could love in return.

 _Oh, I don't want a lot for Christmas_  
This is all I'm asking for __  
_I just want to see my baby_  
Standing right outside my door.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Darcy was tipsy and feeling maudlin, and slowly making her way back to the Tower.

 

  _Damn it._ She thought, as a car sped off spraying a drizzle of melted snow  and who knew what else from the puddle on the street all over her fancy new overcoat.

 _Serves you right for wasting a Belstaff on your little pity party!_ The annoying voice in Darcy's mind sing-songed.

 _Shut the hell up! It's mine, I'll wear or waste it as I see fit._ Darcy retorted.

 _It's supposed to be worn on special occasions, like a night out on town or a seduction!_ The voice continued.

 _It is a special occasion! It's my birthday remember. And I'm on a night out on town._ Darcy replied.

 _Yeah, yeah. I remember. But not that much of an occasion, is it? If no one else remembers._ It piped up again.

 _So what? I don't need anybody._ Darcy pointed out.

 _Like your absentee parents?_ It said in a questioning tone.

 _Well, at least I've  friends._ She sighed.

 _Some friends if they can't even remember your birthday._ The voice tsked.

 _Shut up, you're making me depressed._ Darcy said.

 _No, you are making you depressed. I am you, remember?_ It replied archly.

'Fucking great. Even my subconscious is  an annoyingly snarky bitch. Just... Aargh!' Darcy muttered lowly.

 

She had not noticed the three men who had been trailing her, lost in her thoughts as she was.

The third man, however, had noticed but he had been following her at a distance from where he could keep her in his sight yet be discreet in doing so.

So when Darcy entered a dark alley to take a shortcut, he quickened his pace. He was about to enter the cross section when a van stopped abruptly almost hitting a kid whom he saved from the accident. By the time he reached the alley, one of the men was twitching on the wet ground and the other was about to  hit Darcy with a rebar. He readied his rifle, willing to show himself if it meant saving her. Darcy kicked the man on the ground, whirled and crouched in a single movement, another movement saw her taking out a second taser and holding it directly to the assailant's crotch.

'Look dude, you are not in a position to hit me, I am. I am also in the mood to have you neutered. So what's it gonna be?' She cocked an eyebrow.

'You bitch..you don't know who you're messing with.Hail Hydra!' He started.

'Ah. I see. Well, then.' Saying she pushed the trigger, and swept his legs under him with a kick.

Unfortunately, whatever else he was, he was sneaky and loyal to Hydra and had a greater pain threshold, so even lying on the floor he tried to shoot Darcy who was about to kick him in the nuts.

Bucky had been watching in awe. This chit of a girl had taken down two grown men who were working for Hydra with her Taser and her admittedly kick-ass moves which really kicked ass. But seeing the man take out his gun, he stepped out of the darkness and into the dim light provided by the flickering halogen bulb hanging on a wire from the abandoned building.

The man froze in the process of clicking the safety off. The Soldier looked murderous but he had to be taken in for recalibration and reconditioning. Darcy who had been trying to switch on the panic button hidden in her purse felt the change in the air.

She paused. And stared. And then she spoke, 'So, hobocop, is that a dragunov in your jacket or are you happy to see me?' She finished with a smirk.

The Hydra man who had stilled at the sight of the Winter Soldier, broke out of the fugue state. And  fired. Well, tried to fire.

The Soldier fired first, the dagger he threw pierced the man's hand making the gun fall off.

Bucky returned Darcy's smirk with a proper smile and wink routine. 'Why  doll, can't it be both?'

'Yep. Yes it can..' Darcy trailed off, his proximity and the situation addling her senses. His intense gaze broke her spell. 'Wait, what?!'

'Happy Birthday Darcy.'

'Odin's beard! The Winter Soldier is my soulmate.' She gaped.

'Yes, and so is Bucky Barnes.' He smiled.

'Huh. A very Merry Christmas to me.'

_Oh, I just want you for my own_  
_More than you could ever know_  
_Make my wish come true_  
_Baby all I want for Christmas is_  
_You, You baby._

'Yeah.'

'Wow.'

 

They both took in the sensation of finally meeting their soulmate, silent in their soliloquy.

Bucky broke the trance to say shyly. 'So..um, may I kiss you?'

'Do you have to ask?' Darcy replied, coy.

'Seems only polite..' He answered with a smile.

'Hmm. Yes, you may.' She smiled in response.

 

Their lips met, breaths mingling, spine tingling. It seemed that the earth moved(Darcy had read that it happened when souls align and click together at the first touch) and their souls were alight with life, and fireworks.

_All I want for Christmas is you, baby_  


 

Wait, fireworks?Fireworks, descending on the ground.

Oh. _Oh._ It was Iron Man landing.

 

 

 Tony had missed Darcy at the party and had tried to call her to no avail, he finally tracked her when she tried to hit the panic button.

'Hey, get away from the girl.' He said from the suit.

The Soldier snarled, baring his teeth, put Darcy behind him and growled, 'Mine.'

_All I want for Christmas is you, baby_

'Ok, ok. Mr.Roboto. Yours. Alright I get it.' Tony tried to placate him.

 

The Soldier stilled with a wary intensity, covering Darcy with his body.

'Babe, he's a friend. See I've got my taser. He won't hurt us. Will you Tony?' Darcy said in a calming tone.

'I won't. I promise. Jeez.' Tony lifted his faceplate and lifted his eyebrow.

'Soulmate.' Darcy mouthed.

'OH!' Tony breathed.

Aloud he said, 'Ok. Let's go back to the tower. You can stay there. With Darcy. Or Capsicle.'

'Yes, stay with Darcy in Tower. Mission parameters accepted.' The Soldier replied.

Darcy and Tony sighed in relief.

 

They had just finished recounting the tale of how they met to Tony after calming Soldier down, and hauling the two Hydra goons in containment, when Jarvis announced, 'Sir, Capt. Rogers is back and wants to speak with you.'

Steve ran in and rambled, 'Tony, Darcy is in danger. She clicked the panic button but now I can't find the signal anymore. Oh, I'm such a bad friend. I even forgot to wish her on her birthday. And now she may be dead. Oh Darcy. We've have to find her. All of this is my fault.'

'Ok. Yeah. I expected better of you. But whatever. Chill capsicle.'  Tony snickered, 'Oops, sorry. My bad' when Steve glared at him. 'Seriously, she is safe. In fact, if you just turn your head 180 degrees...'

Steve did, and stared, stunned into inaction. His brain caught up with his body. 'BUCKY!' He rushed towards him, when suddenly he was faced with a growly Darcy trying to push Bucky behind her.

'Darcy, you.. what are you? This is Bucky, he is my...'

'MINE.' She roared and tased Steve. 'He. is. mine.'

Steve reacted as any other man would, he cupped his groin and scooted away.

Bucky overcome with emotion(blind devotion and lust), smiled and started necking with Darcy. The Winter Soldier purred in approval. His mate was fearless and a warrior like him. He would be safe in her hands.

_All I want for Christmas is you, baby_  


 

'Uh, Darcy what?Bucky? What are you..' Steve began.

 

'Mine.' Darcy snarled again. Bucky smirked, 'Yours. Only yours, doll.' mouthing to Steve ,'You're an idiot, Rogers.'

_All I want for Christmas is you, baby_

 

Clint stumbled in, followed by Sam, Pepper and Natasha who took in the scene and got ready for action.

Hawkeye spoke,' Erm.. guys? Why is Darce acting like a feral Edward I-don't-have-a-soul-boofuckinghoo Cullen?'

'One word. Well three.' Tony replied,' Darcy+Bucky=Soulmates.'

'Aww..well.' Clint said.

'Shit.' Sam said succinctly.

Pepper smiled. Natasha huffed in amusement.

 

Two voices, both supersoldiers, rang out, 'Who the hell is Edward Cullen?'

 

Darcy, now satisfied and calm  after littering Bucky's neck with hickies thus marking her territory said, 'Just don't.'

_All I want for Christmas is you, baby_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Un-betaed and completely unedited. I'll get to it soon enough, but it shouldn't have that many mistakes. Please feel free to point out if there are any.
> 
> Read and review, if you please, reviews are good for your soul, and my weary spirit.

**Author's Note:**

> People you've got to tell me if you love it/hate it/can't be bothered. It has not been betaed. So all mistakes are mine. I'll probably be back later on to check for errors, if you find any, please feel free to point them out.  
> Constructive criticism, reviews, banter is welcome. Please review, they help my carpal tunnel syndrome go away. Help me out here guys. This is my first attempt at fanfic writing.  
> Flames will be banked for making slow roast chicken. Also. You can leave your prompts at justdessertsfortea.tumblr.com


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